A Debate on Slavery

DEBATE ON SLAVERY:

HELD IN

THE CITY OF CINCINNATI,

ON THE FIRST, SECOND, THIRD, AND SIXTH DAYS

OF OCTOBER, 1845,.

UPON THE QUESTION:

IS SLAVE-HOLDING IN

BETWEEN MASTER

ITSELF SINFUL, AND THE RELATION
AND SLAVE, A SINFUL RELATION?

AFFIRMATIVE: REV. J. BLANCHARD,
Pastor of the Sixth Presbyterian Church, Cincinnati.

NEGATIVE: N. L. RICE, D.D., Pastor of the Central Presbyterian Church, Cincinnati.

CINCINNATI:

WM, H. MOORE & CO., PUBLISHERS,

110 Main Street, between Third and Fourth.

NEW-YORK: MARK H. NEWMAN.

1846.

SWIVERSITY

A 16028

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1845, by

WILLIAM H. MOORE & CO.,
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Ohio.

CORRESPONDENCE.

CINCINNATI, July 3, 1845. Rav. N. L. Rice, D. D.-The undersigned, believing with yourself, that the full, free, and kind discussion of grave and practical questions tends to benefit the community by diffusing light-and holding views of the teachings of scripture, on the subject of slavery, different from those which you are accustomed to inculcate-respectfully ask wbether it will suit your convenience soon, to debate with some respectable and competent minister of the Gospel, who shall maintain the views commonly taken by abolitionists, the question :

is the practice of slate-kolding in itself sinful, and the relation created by it & sinful relation ?

Provided it may suit your convenience to take part in such a discussion soon, we shall be happy to make the necessary arrangements.

GEORGE McCULLOUGE, Thomas HBATON, AND'' BENTON,
JAMES CALHOUN,

C. DONALDSON,

S. P. CHASS, WILLIAM BIRNBY, J. McCULLOUGH, H. S. GILMORE. G. BAILEY,

CINSINNATI, July 5, 1845. Messes. HEATON, DONALDSON, &c.

Gentlemen-Your letter of the 3d inst., inviting me to a public discussion of the claims of abolitionism, with some " respectable and competent minister of the Gospel," is before me. Though unaccustomed to give challenges of this kind, I do not feel dispused to decline yours. It is, therefore, accepted, on condition that the debais be reported by one or more competent stenographers, to be employed by the parties, the copy-right immediately sold to a publisher in the city, and published as soon as possible after it closes. I prefer the following modification of your question-Is slære holding in itself sinful, and the relution between master und slave necessurily a sinful relation. The time of holding the debate I am disposed to fix as early as previous engagements permit. On this subject, as also cuocerning the other preliminaries, I shall be pleasei to cuufer with you at your sariiest convenience. I shall expect to be informed, without delay, what minister you have selected. Respectfully,

N. L. Rics. The gentlemen who sent the challenge agreed to the following modification of the question proposed by them-Is slave-holding in itself sinful, and the rela tion between muster and stude, a sinful reluizon. Rev. J. BANCHARD was see lected to represent their views.

CERTIFICATE. We have revised the following sheets for the press, and corrected them in the proof, and have no hesitation to authenticats this book, as a full and fair report of the arguments presented anoi authorities quoted, by us in our late discussion held in this city

J. BLANCHABD, Cincinnati, Nov. 24, 1845.

N. L. Rwa.

STEREOTYPED BY S. SHEPARD.

ADVERTISEMENT.

Tas Pasters eommend this work to peace attzeica as a learned, spirited and through discussion of tre grza: noras questas-wetter the reason of siasery, disested of a circunstances not necessariy connectei wibt, is sistol The debate rrew out of the proceedings of the ast meeting of the (0. S., General Assembly of the Fresorterian ecerchin regard to slavery, in which Dr. Rice was a conspiceous actor, and the author of a series of resolutiuns, tucebisthis subject, which were passed by that body. He was soon after invited to a debate. by some gentlemen of this city, and Mr. Blanchard was chosen as his opponent. Their respective friends regarded these gentlemen as their most able advocates, and each party, cocident of success, relied on the skil and logical power hitherto erkidited by them, on similar occasions. The discussion was held in the Tabernacle, the largest room in the city, and was listened to by a crowded audience of great respectablity, during the whole of the twenty-four hours it occup.ed. It was conducted on both sides with constant refer ence to pablication, and everything pertinent to the subject was urged in as concise a manner as the mode of debate would admit. Two reporters of eminence, A. J. Stansberry, Esq., of Washington city, and Edward P. Cranch, Esq., of Cincinnati, were employed. The report was written out by them, revised by the parties, and is here given with a complete index prefixed. In short, nothing that could, in their judgment, increase the value of the book, has been withheld by either authors or publishers.

There is no subject at this moment receiving a greater share of the attention of christendom than this-none certainly involving more important consequences to our civil and ecclesiastical institutions. It employed the energies of the first minds of Great Britain for nearly half a century. We are at length called on as individuals, as States, and as a Nation, to examine the arguments, and to renounce, or defend and ameliorate the system, as we shall or shall not find it consistent with justice and truth. Diversity of opinion concerning it has already divided several of our largest and most influential churches, threatens others, and is influencing in a greater or less degree the political affairs of every State in the Union. Is not then a calm, truth-seeking, erhausting discussion of this question, a thing which should be welcomed by every lover of truth, of the State and the church? Such being the topic and character of the discussion, the publishers, with confidence, anticipate a large sale for this volume.

Cincinnati, Dec., 1845.

INDEX.