“The Quakers were strong campaigners against negro slavery but had no qualms about White slavery… Elizabeth Drinker [a wealthy Quaker slave mistress of Philadelphia] kept a diary in which she philosophically noted that the death of her White slave’s baby had most likely worked out for the best.”
-Hoffman, They Were White And They Were Slaves, page 50
[The speech below could have been given in 2015 by Jack Donovan to the liberal men of post-Modern America. We have often, in this nation, looked to our Puritan or Cavalier English roots, and but rarely to our Scottish or Irish slave roots, or to the Native American influence on our uniquely American masculine traditions, like deer hunting, arm wrestling, lacrosse and America football. However, rarely have modern thinkers pondered what pacifistic rot might have entered the America soul from the money-grubbing, slave-driving Quakers of Dutch and German extraction who insisted that others fight their battles for them, even as they bought and sold human beings, and managed the second largest colony, Pennsylvania, gateway to the Ohio Country and beyond...]
Thus stood our affairs on the Ohio, when an old captain of the warriors, in the interest of the Philadelphians, and their ever faithful friend, whose name was Scarooyada, alias Monokatoathy, on the first notice of these misfortunes, came hastening to Philadelphia, together with Colonel Weiser, the provincial interpreter, and two other Indian chiefs. Scarooyada immediately demanded an audience of the assembly, who were then sitting, to whom he spoke in a very affecting manner. His speeches being printed, and sold about Philadelphia, I procured one of them, which was as follows:
"Brethren, we are once more come among you, and sincerely condole with you on account of the late bloodshed, and the awful cloud that hangs over you and over us. Brethren, you may be undoubtedly assured, that these horrid actions were committed by none of those nations that have any fellowship with us, but by certain false-hearted and treacherous brethren. It grieves us more than all our other misfortunes, that any of our good friends the English should suspect us of having false hearts.
"Brethren, If you were not an infatuated people, we are 300 warriors firm to your interest; and if you are so unjust to us, as to retain any doubts of our sincerity, we offer to put our wives, our children, and all we have into your hands, to deal with them as seemeth good to you, if we are found in the least to swerve from you. But, brethren, you must support and assist us, for we are not able to fight alone against the powerful nations who are coming against you; and you must this moment resolve, and give us an explicit answer what you will do: For these nations have sent to desire us, as old friends, cither to join them, or get out of their way, and shift for ourselves. Alas! brethren, we are sorry to leave you! We remember the many tokens of your friendship to us: But what shall we do? We cannot stand alone, and you will not stand with us!
"Brethren," The time is precious. While we are here consulting with you, we know not what may be the fate of our brethren at home. We do, therefore, once more invite and request you to act like men, and be no longer as women, pursuing weak measures that render your names despicable. If you will put the hatchet * into your hands, and send out a number of your young men, in conjunction with our warriors, and provide the necessary arms, ammunition, and provisions, and likewise build some strong houses for the protection of our old men, women, and children, while we are absent in war, we shall soon wipe the tears from your eyes, and make these false-hearted brethren repent their treachery and baseness towards you and towards us.
"But we must at the same time solemnly assure you, that if you delay any longer to act in conjunction with us, or think to put us off, as usual, with uncertain hopes, you must not expect to see our faces under this roof any more. We must shift for our own safety, and leave you to the mercy of our enemies, as an infatuated people, upon whom we can have no longer dependance."
The tears stood in the old man's eyes, while he delivered this last part; and no wonder, since the very being of his nation depended upon their joining the enemy, or our enabling them immediately to make head against them.
* See the note under Tomahawk
It was some time, however, before the assembly could be brought to consent to any vigorous measures for their own defence. The black [?] inhabitants lost all patience at their conduct. Until at length, the Governor exerted his utmost power, and procured the militia and money bills to pass. By virtue of the former, the freemen of the province were enabled to form themselves into companies, and each company by a majority of votes, by way of ballot, to choose its own officers, viz. a Captain, Lieutenant, and Ensign; who, if approved of, were to be commissioned by the Governor. So that the Philadelphians were, at last, permitted to raise and arm themselves in their own defence. They accordingly formed themselves into companies: the Governor signing to all gentlemen qualified, who had been regularly ballotted, commissions for that purpose.
