On this day 250 years ago in Newport, Rhode Island, Samuel Hopkins wrote to Thomas Cushing who was then a member of the Massachusetts delegation in the Continental Congress:

They have indeed manifested much wisdom and benevolence in advising to a total stop of the slave trade, and leading the united American Colonies to resolve not to buy any more slaves, imported from Africa. This has rejoiced the hearts of many benevolent, pious persons, who have been long convinced of the unrighteousness and cruelty of that trade, by which so many Hundreds of thousands are enslaved. And have we not reason to think this has been one means of obtaining the remarkable, and almost miraculous protection and success, which heaven has hitherto granted to the united Colonies, in their opposition to unrighteousness and tyranny, and struggle for liberty?

But if the slave trade be altogether unjust, is it not equally unjust to hold those in slavery, who by this trade have been reduced to this unhappy state? Have they not a right to their liberty, which has been thus violently, and altogether without right, taken from them? Have they not reason to complain of any one who withholds it from them? Do not the cries of these oppressed poor reach to the heavens? Will not God require it at the hands of those who refuse to let them go out free? If practising or promoting the slave trade be inconsistent with what takes place among us, in our struggle for liberty, is not retaining the slaves in bondage, whom by this trade we have in our power, equally inconsistent? And is there not, consequently, an inconsistence in resolving against the former, and yet continuing the latter?

And if the righteous and infinitely good Governor of the world, has given testimony of his approbation of our resolving to put a stop to the slave trade, by doing such wonders in our favor; have we not reason to fear he will take his protection from us, and give us up to the power of oppression and tyranny, when he sees we stop short of what might be reasonably expected; and continue the practice of that which we ourselves have, implicitly at least, condemned, by refusing to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?

Does not the conduct of Lord Dunmore, and the ministerialists, in taking the advantage of the slavery practised among us, and encouraging all slaves to join them, by promising them liberty, point out the best, if not the only way to defeat them in this, viz. granting freedom to them ourselves, so as no longer to use our neighbour’s service without wages, but give them for their labours what is equal and just?

Source: “Samuel Hopkins to Thomas Cushing, 29 December 1775,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Adams/06-03-02-0196. [Original source: The Adams Papers, Papers of John Adams, vol. 3, May 1775 – January 1776, ed. Robert J. Taylor. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1979, pp. 388–390.]

Hopkins must have at that time been writing his pamphlet entitled A Dialogue Concerning the Slavery of the Africans which was addressed “To the Honorable Members of the Continental Congress, Representatives of the Thirteen United American Colonies”. In that pamphlet, Hopkins referred to slaves as “our brethren and children” and stated that it was the duty of America to free them.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Hopkins_(theologian); https://archive.org/details/dialogueconcerni00hopk/mode/2up