Excerpt from A Sermon, Delivered in the Second Congregational Church, Norwich, on the Fourth of July 1834: At the Request of the Anti-Slavery Society of Norwich, Connecticut

That modern slave-holding is Oppression, and oppression too of the worst kind, is another point that can be established with equal certainty. Individuals there indeed are, that are called slave holders, who render to their servants that which is just and equal. But these are slave-holders only in name. When we speak of slave-holding, we mean that system which claims the right of buying and selling human beings, of tearing asunder fami lies, of withholding wages, of shutting out instruction, and couse quently the Bible. This system we say is a system of oppres sion, and therefore is regarded by the Bible as sin. Those per sons who are nominally slave-holders, but who do not claim the right of property in their servants, nor withhold from them a rea sonable compensation for their labor, nor deny them instruction and the Bible, are not slave-holders in fact, whatever they may be in form or name. When we speak of slave-holders, we do not mean them. We however believe the number of this class of persons in our country to be small; for if the number were con siderable, we should see their petitions going up to the legislatures of the several States for the repeal of oppressive laws: we should see them uniting their efforts, and doing all in their power to put an end to the system of slavery. But we see no such thing. It is evident that a majority of our countrymen, at least, are willing that the oppression should continue for its continuance depends only upon the will of the majority. Let the will of the majority be changed, and slavery will cease. What we propose to do is, to act upon this will until it is changed.

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