The Way to Abolish Slavery

In this fervent mid‑nineteenth‑century essay, the author confronts the entrenched institution of chattel slavery with a moral clarity that feels strikingly modern. He opens by acknowledging the long‑standing anti‑slavery campaign, then steps away from partisan politics to lay out his own independent thesis: that slavery endures not because of its own merit but because it leans on two powerful supports—government and church. Using vivid analogies of a towering statue propped on both pillars, he explains how these institutions lend legitimacy and strength to a system he describes as a “terrible disease” that corrupts every virtue it touches.

The work proceeds to dissect the ways in which political authority and religious endorsement sustain the practice, urging listeners to consider how withdrawing that backing could cause slavery to crumble of its own corruption. Throughout, the author’s call for truth, righteousness, and uncompromising honesty invites reflection on the moral responsibilities of societies that still grapple with the legacies of oppression.