The slave institution a great military power.
It is the greatest mistake in the world to suppose that a slaveholding community is without military power or resources.
On the contrary the whole history of mankind shows that the military power of nations has in every case been built up at the beginning, by the enslavement of conquered peoples.
Indeed, all empire and all civilization began with slavery as the inseparable incident of conquest.
All great nations trace back to small military beginnings, gradually increasing by successive conquests and enslavements.
First, a tribe wages war against a neighboring tribe, conquers them and reduces them to servitude.
This gives them strength to make new conquests, by supplying them with labor to produce the means of subsistence while they are carrying on expeditions abroad.
They then make war with another tribe and acquire more slaves, which makes them still stronger.
They now become a nation and extend their conquests, adding to their capital of slave labor, until they have annexed all the adjoining country; after which they embark in foreign conquests, leading home powerful kings chained to their chariot wheels.
The cities of
Messina and
Sparta were rivals, and of the same Doric origin.
A struggle for the mastery began, which lasted many years; when, by strategy, the Spartans at last became the conquerors, reducing to servitude such of the inhabitants of
Messina as did not fly to neighboring countries.
Thus did
Sparta become one of the most powerful States of
Greece.
Rome commenced as a band of robbers: The victims of their first conquests were reduced to slavery, except in the few instances where they were incorporated into the
State.
They gradually extended their power over
Italy, and finally conquered nearly the whole known world.
During all this process, the number of their slaves increased
part passu with their power and dominion, until the number of slaves in and around
Rome exceeded the freemen in the proportion of twelve or fifteen to one.
In spite of this distinguished example of
Rome, mistress of the world, there are many people ignorant enough to contend, not only that slavery impoverishes, but that, in a military point of view, it enfeebles a State.
One of the first acts of
Moses, after he had delivered his countrymen from the
Egyptian yoke, was to wage war against the Edomites, conquer and reduce them to slavery.
Josephus declares that the Jews were greatly benefited by the booty and the slaves they acquired.
This was while
Moses was governed by Divine council, contemporaneous with the thunders of
Mount Sinai, and the delivery of the ten Commandments.
This conquest of slaves was ordered with direct reference to the occupation and settlement of the promised land.
Having given slaves to the Jews, the Almighty regulated the institution by an excellent code of laws; and when they entered
Canaan, authorized them to make slaves of the heathen around them.
If we explore the history of English civilization, we shall find that slavery, even the slavery of Englishmen, rested at its foundation.
The sovereigns, after many centuries of slavery, released their slaves from bondage for handsome prices paid, as a means of raising revenue.
A manumission granted by
Henry VIII. to two persons, ran, somewhat after the style of our
Declaration of Independence, as follows:
‘
"
Whereas, originally, God created all men free; but afterward the laws and customs of nations subjected some under the yoke of servitude, we think it pious and meritorious with God, to make certain persons absolutely free from servitude who are at present under villenage to us; wherefore do we now accordingly manumit and free from the yoke of servitude
Henry Knight, a tailor, and
John Erle, a husbandman, our slaves, as being born in our manor of Stoke Clymmy Slaude, in our county of Corn wall, together with all their issue born or hereafter to be born, so as the said two persons, with their issue, shall henceforth be deemed by us and our heirs free and of free condition."
’
Thus profane and sacred history alike declare to us that slavery is the foundation of empire, --that it has been the chief instrumentality employed by
Providence in founding and perpetuating civilization.
First, the military power of States was established by conquest, which gave booty and the labor of the enslaved captives to the conquerors.
Then, this booty being capital, and these enslaved captives furnishing labor, the civilization of the conquering States was erected upon this capital and labor, the two substantial pillars of progress and power.
The military strength of nations, other things being assumed as equal, is usually estimated by the number of men that can be spared from the ordinary business of society for the field.
In general, this number is estimated as one in eight of the whole population.
Some countries, favorably circumstanced, can furnish one in seven; while a very few, of rare facilities in this respect, can furnish one in six; which is esteemed the maximum proportion.
But such are the extraordinary advantages which our slave institution confers upon the
South, that our best military authorities consider, with reason, that we can readily furnish one in five for the public service, and still retain at home enough men advanced in life, or too young for campaign service, to carry on agriculture and keep the slaves employed and in obedience.--Every Southern man and woman knows that sending off to the wars one man in five of our population, would not at all endanger the safety of society at home.
We might enlarge on the chivalric and martial qualities which the dominant race in slaveholding communities possess — their superiority over the men in non-slaveholding communities in marksmanship, in the use of arms, and in the peculiar qualities and characteristics which go to make up the military character.
We might adduce the facts of American history to show that the
South helped the
North to fight the
Northern battles of the Revolution, and then fought alone and unaided the
Southern; that in the last war with
England this same fact was repeated; and that in the
Mexican war the
South furnished a large excess of the troops that not only mustered on the rolls, but fought and won the battles.
But it is unnecessary at present to produce these facts.
If all military power is proved by history to have commenced with conquest and enslavement; if the most warlike nations of antiquity owed their prowess and power to the slavery they employed at home — it is certainly unnecessary at this late day to meet the cant of Exeter Hall and of the Tabernacle at
Boston — disparaging the military resources of the
South--with statistical refutation.
