Silas James, Jr. Memorial to the General Assembly January 1836

Silas James, Jr., a medical doctor from Coventry, penned this lengthy memorial that was later published as a broadside. James’ diatribe against the abolitionist movement is based on several key tenets in the anti-abolitionist movement. First and foremost, James sees the abolition as a threat to the Union. Though he mentions the horrors of slavery, James fears the horrors of emancipation even more. Similar to southern slaveholders, James sees the specter of a race war right around the corner. In this analysis, abolitionists were solely to blame for enticing slaves, such as Nat Turner, to revolt. James does not see any place in the United States for Whites and Blacks to live together in harmony.