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Lot 217
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Black Voters, 1846! New York Abolitionist Farmer Condemns State’s Attitude
Black Voters, 1846! New York Abolitionist Farmer Condemns State’s Attitude
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African American
Levanna, NY, December 30, 1846
Black Voters, 1846! New York Abolitionist Farmer Condemns State's Attitude
ALS

[AFRICAN AMERICAN.] Samuel Griggs and ? Griggs, Autograph Letter Signed, to Peter Davison, December 30, 1846, Levanna, [New York]. 3 pp., 8" x 12.5". Expected folds, toning; loss of paper on pp. 3/4, affecting second signature.

In this passionate letter, New York farmer Samuel Griggs writes from the Finger Lakes region of New York to a friend or relative in Brooklyn, Connecticut, near where Griggs was born. After reporting "nothing new," Griggs launches into a lengthy discussion of the recent New York Constitution of 1846 and the failure of New York voters to give African Americans the suffrage. Griggs despairs of both the Whig and Loco-Foco Democratic parties as enslaved to southern interests and speaks approvingly of the new Liberty Party, "who are for equal rights to all mankind which is imbraced in our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution." He condemns the ongoing Mexican War as an attempt to gain more area for slavery.

On November 3, 1846, New York voters overwhelmingly approved by a margin of 70.6 percent to 29.4 percent the new constitution, which reorganized state courts, made several previously appointed offices elective, placed limitations on the state's ability to borrow money, and abolished feudal tenures and agricultural leases lasting more than twelve years. In a separate referendum, voters rejected by a larger margin of 72.4 percent to 27.6 percent a proposal to repeal requirements that African American men have $250 in property and live in the state for three years before being allowed to vote.

At the same election, Whig John Young narrowly defeated incumbent Democrat Silas Wright for the position of New York governor. Young won 49.1 percent of the vote to Wright's 46.2 percent. Young served one term from January 1847 to December 1848. He was defeated for the 1848 Whig nomination by Hamilton Fish, who went on to win the general election and succeeded Young as governor.

Excerpt
"their has nothing new taken place in this Country lately. Except new modeling over our Constitution of our Great Empire State. we Choose a Convention for that purpose, they set about 5 months, spent thousands of Dollars of our money—and nearly all the good that they have effected was to take the appointing power from the Council of appointment, to appoint Judges &c. and given it to the People, but as for the right of sufferage to the whites they have given all the privaledge to vote that are not of jail and not tenants of the states prison, but the poor Colourd people they Dare not Decide upon, but Dodged the subject and threw it back upon the people to seal their own Infamy and Degradation for they well knew that Both Whigs and Locos are so bound Down with southern Slavery, that they would boldly and fearlessly rob the poor Colourd people of their Inaliable God given rights, to keep friendship with their southern Masters Poke, and Clay, and our Northern Doughfaces have not Disappointed them, although the Whigs last spring when making out our nomination for members of the Convention said that they should make that their main Question, the right of sufferage to Gods poor, the right of sufferage to black and white, but the Locos more bold in their Infamy, Choose men pledged to Do the damning Deed of robbery, but we will see the sequal, when the election was over and the votes Counted, it appeard that J. Young the Whig rummy Candidate for Governor, was nearly Eleven thousand a head of Wright the rummy Loco old Governor, the sufferage question for the poor Colourd man run about 19000 behind. now I ask you or any other honest man what trust can be put in either branch of our Proslavery party, for they are all one party and slaveholders tools who vote to rob the Colourd man of his right, it is a Down right specie of Slavery, and every man that robs his Colourd neighbour of his right of sufferage is meaner than a negro who robs a white man of $50 for no man of Common respectability would take $50 for his right of sufferage and which would be the fittest subject for states Prison but what will become of our Nation God only knows for we are now ingaged in a wicked bloody war with Mexico, and what is it for? I answer, it is to extend the boundary of Slavery, they are a killing of our young white men, in trying to kill the Poor Mexicans men women and Children, to make room for the Enslaved Colourd people, and Whigs and Locos both ingaged in it. Oh, shame on such a wicked Nation.
"But I must Drop the subject of Politics as I have said enough to Convince any honest man that our Government is in a miserable Cituation at Present, and needs to be in better hands than Whigs or Locos, and there is another the Liberty Party, who are for equal rights to all mankind which is imbraced in our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution—in which their is nothing to favour Slavery, and when the North asserts their rights and throws of the Shackles of Slavery, we may then expect better times and not till then—and may God hasten the time."

Samuel Griggs (1776-1855) was born in Windham County, Connecticut. In 1798, he married Esther Goffe. By 1850, he was a farmer in Ledyard, New York, where he lived Relief Griggs. In May 1851, he donated $3 to the American Anti-Slavery Society at its annual meeting in Syracuse. He died in Homer, New York.

Peter Davison (1802-1874) lived in Brooklyn, Windham County, Connecticut.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 8" x 12.5"
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