The Negroes Character
Cowardly and cruel are those Blacks Innate,
Prone to Revenge, Imp of inveterate hate. He that exasperates them, soon espies Mischief and murder in their very eyes. Libidinous, Deceitful, False and Rude, The Spume Issue of the Ingratitude. The Premeses consider’d, all may tell, How near good Joseph they are parallel. |
John Saffin was a colonial New England merchant, politician, judge and a poet. He was baptized November 22, 1626 in England. As a young man, Saffin was taught by Charles Chauncey. The man was known in the courts for his anger. As the Saffin aged, he was well-known for his feud with Judge Samuel Sewall and his A Brief and Candid Answer to Sewall's The Selling of Joseph.
John Saffin's poem the The Nergoes Character, showed his thoughts and hatred toward slaves. Thinking of them as primitive beings with nothing but malice toward them. Saffin's poem allowed insight into the view of a man who approved slavery. The Nergoes Character was part of the candid answer and the poem that focused on a way to persuade citizens that the slaves were not civilized.
John Saffin's poem the The Nergoes Character, showed his thoughts and hatred toward slaves. Thinking of them as primitive beings with nothing but malice toward them. Saffin's poem allowed insight into the view of a man who approved slavery. The Nergoes Character was part of the candid answer and the poem that focused on a way to persuade citizens that the slaves were not civilized.
Works Cited
Basker, James G. Amazing Grace: An Anthology of Poems about Slavery, 1660-1810. New Haven: Yale UP, 2002. Print.
Bradley, Patricia. Slavery, Propaganda, and the American Revolution. Jackson: U of Mississippi, 1998. Print.
Meserole, Harrison T. American Poetry of the Seventeenth Century. University Park: Pennsylvania State UP, 1985. Print.
Saffin, John. A Brief and Candid Answer to a Late Printed Sheet, Entitled, The Selling of Joseph. Boston: n.p., 1701. Print.
Sewell, Samuel. The Selling Of Joseph. Boston: n.p., 1700. Print.
Shields, David S. Oracles of Empire: Poetry, Politics, and Commerce in British America, 1690-1750. Chicago: U of Chicago, 1990. Print.
Von Frank, Albert J. "John Saffin: Slavery And Racism In Colonial Massachusetts." Early American Literature 29.3 (1994): 254. Academic Search Complete. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.
Picture:
Document Signed by John Saffin regarding the Emancipation of Adam (a Slave), 26 June 1694. N.d. Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston.Massachusetts Historical Society. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
Basker, James G. Amazing Grace: An Anthology of Poems about Slavery, 1660-1810. New Haven: Yale UP, 2002. Print.
Bradley, Patricia. Slavery, Propaganda, and the American Revolution. Jackson: U of Mississippi, 1998. Print.
Meserole, Harrison T. American Poetry of the Seventeenth Century. University Park: Pennsylvania State UP, 1985. Print.
Saffin, John. A Brief and Candid Answer to a Late Printed Sheet, Entitled, The Selling of Joseph. Boston: n.p., 1701. Print.
Sewell, Samuel. The Selling Of Joseph. Boston: n.p., 1700. Print.
Shields, David S. Oracles of Empire: Poetry, Politics, and Commerce in British America, 1690-1750. Chicago: U of Chicago, 1990. Print.
Von Frank, Albert J. "John Saffin: Slavery And Racism In Colonial Massachusetts." Early American Literature 29.3 (1994): 254. Academic Search Complete. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.
Picture:
Document Signed by John Saffin regarding the Emancipation of Adam (a Slave), 26 June 1694. N.d. Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston.Massachusetts Historical Society. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.