June 17. This day died and was buried in the city burying ground Wm. Grubber, a native African whom I bought, and liberated after he had served me 10 years, He lived with me occasionally afterwards, and after returning from sea always made my house his home. He was when I first bought his time a Drunkard and swore frequently. In a year or two he was reformed from both these vices, and became afterwards a sober, moral man and faithful and affectionate Servant. His integrity extended to trifles, and was of the most delicate nature. In a fit of sickness which I had in 1787 it was expected I should die. William refused to go ot bed on the night in which he expected that event would take place, and added, "If massaw die, put me in de grave with him. He be de only friend I got in dis world." He obtained some of my hair secretly, and had it put in a ring in London, which ring he gave to one of the maids to keep for him, with an injunction "not to tell me of it." [1] |
I, Benjamin Rush of the city of Philadelphia, doctor of physic, having purchased a Negro slave named William of Captain David McCullough, and being fully satisfied that it is contrary to reason and religion to detain the said slave in bondage beyond such a time as will be a just compensation for my having paid for him the full price of a slave for life, I do hereby declare that the said William shall be free from me and from all persons claiming under me, on the twenty-fifth day of February on the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety four. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal on this twenty-fourth day of May one thousand seven hundred and eighty eight. [4] |
Despite such opposition, Rush was able to find abolitionist allies in Philadelphia. In addition to Benezet, Rush had befriended Benjamin Franklin, in whom he found a prominent antislavery ally. Rush illuminated his close connection with Franklin in his commonplace book, in which he spent two entries mourning Franklin's death. The first entry is a detailed account of Franklin's cause of death, while the second entry is an account of Franklin's funeral, during which Rush procured a lock of Franklin's hair, "and sent some of it to Dr. Price, and some of it to the Marquis of Fayette." The fact that Rush had asked for a lock of Franklin's hair indicates that Rush had a great deal of respect for Dr. Franklin. Another telling detail is that Rush made a point of stating "Dr. Franklin's last publication was to ridicule a defense of the slavery of the negroes by Genl. Jackson, a member of Congress." By mentioning this, Rush admitted that one of the reasons he admired Franklin was for his antislavery sentiment. In neither entry did Rush mention any of Franklin's other accomplishments. He admitted that "to record all the exploits of his benevolence, and the discoveries of his genius, would be a volume," but by mentioning Franklin's last condemnation of slavery, Rush gave the impression that this aspect of Franklin's life was likely one of the aspects Rush admired the most. [11]
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Does the small share the women take in the management of their families, in South Carolina, render them less necessary to the happiness of their husbands? And is this the reason why they were less devoted to their wives in the two instances that have been mentioned? If it is, it furnishes a new and strong argument against negro slavery. Rush was most likely referring to the fact that, on Southern plantations, much of the domestic work, such as cooking, cleaning, and childrearing, was left to the slaves, rather than the plantation mistresses. Rush's theory was that, because most of the domestic work was left to slaves, Southern wives were not contributing enough to the wellbeing of their husbands, and were therefore seen as less important. Because their husbands saw their wives as unimportant, they neglected their wives in times of poor health, such as in the cases of Mrs. A. and Mrs. P. One of Rush's cases against slavery, therefore, was that it was detrimental to the wellbeing of the nuclear family. [16]
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