Sewall's Reponse to Mather

A detailed Summary of Sewall's Reponse to Mather

Sewall's Response to Mather's "The Negro Christianized"

Cotton Mather and Samuel Sewall clearly disagree on the legality of slavery. For Sewall, it is most important that slaves be given the same freedom as all men; for Mather, it is most important that slaves be Christianized and given the opportunity of eternal light through the grace of Jesus Christ. Christianizing slaves, according to Sewall, neither makes possession of them legal nor improves the providence of their masters.

Mather indicates that Christianization of African slaves will accrue benefits to their masters in the next life while Sewall believes that Christianization ameliorates the possibility of their masters receiving God's grace. According to Mather, "You deny your Master in Heaven, if you do nothing to bring your Servants unto the Knowledge and Service of that glorious Master" (Mather, 335). So to Mather, a master disserves not only God and Africans but also himself by missing the opportunity to Christianize his slaves. On the other hand, Sewall writes, "The extraordinary and comprehensive Benefit accruing to the Church of God, and to Joseph personally, did not rectify his brethrens Sale of him" (Sewall, 326). Essentially, Sewall believes that any at

Sewall, Samuel. The Selling of Joseph. The Literatures of Colonial America. Ed. Susan Castillo and Ivy Schweitzer. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 2001. 323-27.

Christianizing slaves, according to Sewall, neither makes possession of them legal nor improves the providence of their masters. Sewall would have responded by noting Mather's avoidance of the legality of slavery. I would argue that Mather is the one who "Dulcifies, and Mollifies, and Moderates" the issue of biblical justification by refusing to answer Sewall's specific arguments against slavery in his piece. Remember that Ames writes slavery with the "master as agent" in general, "thwarts the generall Canon, What you would have men do unto you, even so do unto them: Matth. 17.12. 3.3" (Sewall, 327). In Sewall's opinion, by violating the Golden Rule, slave owners clearly place themselves in a precarious position.

Mather, Cotton. The Negro Christianized. The Literatures of Colonial America. Ed. Susan Castillo and Ivy Schweitzer. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 2001. 333-37.

tempt to improve the quality of a slave's life (Christianization or otherwise) does not outweigh the immorality of their purchase and possession. "For he that shall in this case plead Alteration of Property, seems to have forfeited a great part of his own claim to Humanity" (Sewall, 324). Consequently, owners, in Sewall's view, jeopardize

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Approximate Word count = 945
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English