Francis Moore Quotes
Two peculiar customs: both alcohol and dark-skinned people were prohibited. No slavery is allowed, nor negroes. As a sanctuary for free white people, Georgia would not permit slaves, for slaves starve the poor laborer.
Francis Moore A Voyage to Georgia Begun in the Year 1735
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No sooner had Georgia Banned slavery, then some of the large planters petitioned the trustees for a reversal of the ban on the grounds that South Carolina, their neighboring colony allowed planters to use slaves and this put the Georgia planters at a major competitive disadvantage. Oglethorpe won the battle but later lost the war as the ban was overturned and Georgia became one of the worst slave states. What is interesting about this quotation is that in addition to his pragmatic reasons for banning slavery, he was morally offended but the notion and method of chattel slavery and the slave trade. See Quotes 643524 and 643525.
He was concerned about what would happen if Georgia allowed slavery. In addition to all the other concerns—see the related quotes—he had, he was concerned that the slave traders (he used the term “Negro Merchants”.) would dominate the economy and place slaves in all the working jobs leaving “leaving nothing for all the laboring poor white Men”.
The minister was the leader of a sect that had emigrated from Germany to the new colony of George where slavery had been banned but wealthy planters were pointing to South Carolina north of them where slavery was producing riches for the slave owners and asking the Trustees back in England to allow slavery as they were at a competitive disadvantage. Oglethorpe, the leader of the community argued against slavery and was joined by other community leaders including Reverend Boltzius, The argued that slavery would curtail the opportunity for common white men. In this quote Boltzius pointed to Charlestown South Carolina to show the effect that slavery produced there. The wages for slaves, were wages paid to the slave’s owner. While plantation slavery was the most common form of slavery, but many slave owners without large plantations simply rented out his slaves. In some cases, the slaves were taught trades like carpentry so the owner could receive ore for his work. But the system allowed the slave owner to undercut the market, and all a white worker could make was the wage that slave owners were demanding for slave labor.
Francis Moore was a British travel writer of the 18th century. Moore was born in Worcester, England, but few details are known about his early life. He came into prominence after publishing Travels into the Inland Parts of Africa in 1738. The abolitionist Thomas Clarkson attributed his commitment to the anti-slavery cause to reading the few experts on Africa of the time, including Moore.
