Romans: Sin, Judgment, and Gospel Foundations: Prepared Hearts

Where We Are & How We Got Here # 8 of 14

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: New Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 1998-08-23

Synopsis: John Weaver continues his series on Southern history by examining race relations in the antebellum South. He argues that slavery was a biblically regulated institution and that the relationship between masters and slaves was generally one of affection, kindness, and mutual benefit, contrary to abolitionist propaganda. Using historical records, slave narratives, and official war documents, he contends that abuse was the exception, not the rule, and that most mistreatment of blacks came from Northern troops during the Civil War. He concludes with a call to judge people by character rather than color, emphasizing biblical honor and integrity.

[John Weaver] All right, let's begin today. I've been dealing with where we are and how we got here. And I started in the 1840s and 60s and been dealing with what is known as the War of Northern Aggression. So in the last five or six or four parts, anyhow, I've been dealing with Southern slavery and before that, the biblical view of slavery. So let's look in Ephesians chapter six. Ephesians 6, beginning there with verse 5. Ephesians 6, verse 5. Ephesians 6, verse 5.

[John Weaver] God says, servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling and singleness of your heart as unto Christ. Now let me remind you that the word servants there is the Greek word doulos which literally means slaves. Slaves or servants be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh with fear and trembling and singleness of your heart as unto Christ. Not with eye service as men pleasers, but as the servants of Christ doing the will of God from the heart. With goodwill doing service as to the Lord and not to men. Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. And ye masters, that is, those who are over the slaves, ye masters do the same things unto them forbearing threatening, knowing that your master also is in heaven, neither is their respective persons with him.

[John Weaver] Now, I'm not going to take the time today to review as I normally do, but may I point out the fact that we went over two Sundays dealing with the biblical view of slavery. I pointed out how that slavery was God-ordained. It is not evil, nor wicked, nor wrong in and of itself. In fact, God lays down the regulations of the Bible for regulating not only the master, but the slave as well. So there is to be a relationship between slave and master, or slaves and masters. that is regulated by the word of God.

[John Weaver] Now, as we've been talking about Southern slavery, particularly, I want to deal today with what I'm just simply calling race relations. It may surprise many to discover that the relation that existed between masters and slaves in the old South was one of affection, kindness and understanding.

[John Weaver] Now, it is true there was great emotional, cultural, and racial differences between blacks and whites, even back then. But still, in the antebellum South, that relation was still one of kindness and graciousness and affection. In fact, there was never the hatred and the bigotry and the abuse and the misuse in the South that is so commonly reported by the North, especially by the propaganda of the abolitionists there. In fact, it is interesting to discover that any abuse, or I would say this, the majority of the abuse and misuse of the blacks was not in the South, but it was in the North. And it was also done in the South by the North on the part of the North when they did indeed come into the country. Judge George L. Christian made this statement. I'm going to read you the statement. And I'm going to tell you where and when the statement was made. Listen to carefully. This is a judge speaking. Judge George L. Christian said, quote, In the first place, slavery as it existed in the South was patriarchal in its character.

[John Weaver] The slaves, and then he puts in parentheses, Servants, as we call them, the slaves, servants, as we call them, were regarded and treated as members of the families to which they severally belong. With rare exceptions, they were treated with kindness and consideration. And frequently the relations between the slave and his owner were those of real affection and confidence. So here is a judge who is saying that the slavery that existed in the antebellum South was patriarchal in nature. In fact, the slave counted himself as part of that family. In fact, slaves usually identified themselves when asked who they were.

[John Weaver] They would say, well, I'm one of Colonel Carey's people, or I'm one of Brother Thomason's people. In other words, they referred to themselves as the people of that particular family. In fact, I pointed out in the book that I have, which is a copy of the slave narratives of Georgia, how every one of those slaves took the name of the owner of the plantation on which they live. So if you hear about a coffee, then the plantation owner's last name was Coffee, and so on down the line.

[John Weaver] Now, Judge Christian himself was a Confederate veteran. And Judge Christian made this statement and delivered these remarks to the reunion of the Confederate veterans held in Richmond, Virginia in 1907.

[John Weaver] Now the point that I'm trying to make is this. In 1907 when he was saying that slavery in the South was patriarchal in nature. And he was delivering these remarks to the Union of Confederate Veterans. Here were men who were alive that knew and understand and understood. And Judge Christian could not have made any false statements without someone being there who knew the truth to challenge him. You see what I'm saying?

[John Weaver] So the statement had to be true. Because there were too many people alive at that particular time that could have corrected it. So he is saying then that the relationship that existed between the blacks and the white at that particular time was one of benevolence and kindness. And of course, I'm going to point out the fact that all of the honest Europeans and the honest northerners concurred in this fact.

[John Weaver] For instance, in the 1840s, there was an Englishman, Sir Charles Lyell, who traveled throughout the South, and he put all of his observations in a book, and his book is entitled, Travels in North America in the Years 1841-1842. And Lyell, in his book, mentioned the remarkable affection that existed between black and white, and between master and slave. And then he made this statement, that the slaves were quote, better fed than the large part of the laboring class of Europe, end quote. So here's an Englishman saying that the slaves in the south were better treated and better fed than a large part of the laboring class in Europe.

[John Weaver] Now Lyell did not report that there were beatings and whips and misconducts and abuse. He may not have agreed with the institution of slavery. But he did have to admit the fact that the slaves are treated well and they were fed well also. Even the northern abolitionist, Frederick Law Olmsted, who was honest, had to concur that in the South the blacks were treated decently and rightly. There was another Englishman, Sir James S. Buckingham, who in 1842 wrote, and listen to what he says, quote, This is only one among the many proofs I had witnessed of the fact that the prejudice of color is not nearly so strong in the South as it is in the North.

[John Weaver] Now, let me just stop there. He's going on. He's going to make a statement. But he's saying that the prejudice and the bigotry was worse in the North than it was in the South. So he says this is the only one among the many proofs I had witness to the fact that the prejudice of color is not nearly so strong in the South as in the North. Now, listen. In the South, it is not at all uncommon to see the black slaves of both sexes shake hands with white people when they meet and interchange friendly personal inquiries. But at the North, I do not remember to have witnessed this once. And neither in Boston, New York, or Philadelphia would white persons generally like to be seen shaking hands and talking familiarly with blacks in the streets." So here is another Englishman saying that the prejudice was on the part of the North.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to understand here is a general truth. And that general truth is that the black slaves in the South were treated with kindness and affection, and it was indeed a fact that they were well taken care of.

[John Weaver] Now, that does not mean that there were no exceptions. You see, Southern slavery was a combination of Biblical or Christian slavery and pagan slavery. Because very clearly, not everyone who owned slaves in the South was a Christian. And it should be very obvious that every Christian who owns slaves probably was not as biblical as he could have been or should have been at all times. So there had to be some exceptions.

[John Weaver] Now, there was indeed and undoubtedly some mistreatment. But let me point out the fact that this mistreatment was the exception and not the rule. Robert Louis Dabney, who was a Presbyterian theologian. He's written, I don't know, seven or eight books. I have about all the books that he's ever written. He was also aide-de-camp to Stonewall Jackson. Robert Louis Dabney said this, and I quote, now while we freely admit that there were in the South instances of criminal barbarity and corporal punishments, they were relatively rare and infrequent and were strongly reprobated by public opinion. In other words, Dabney is saying, yes, there were some who were cruel to their slaves, but they were rare, they were the exceptions, and the public opinion reprobated masters who treated their slaves thusly. Dr. William S. White, who was himself a Presbyterian pastor, and I might add, he was for a while Stonewall Jackson's pastor, he said this, listen, quote, In all lands there are husbands and fathers who maltreat their wives and children. So there are masters among us who maltreat their slaves.

[John Weaver] But the prevailing spirit is one of great kindness, showing itself in innumerable ways. Their mutual dependence begets mutual affection and attachment. I could fill volumes with incidents occurring under my own eyes, illustrating this statement. But I write for my own people, especially my own children, and not for the abolitionists.

[John Weaver] Now, listen to what he said. He says there are fathers who mistreat their children. There are husbands who mistreat their wives.

[John Weaver] Now, just because one father mistreats his child does not mean that every father is therefore wicked and vile and evil. Just because one husband beats his wife does not mean that every other husband is a wife-beater. And likewise, just because there is an occasional barbarous act by an unconverted individual, does not mean, therefore, that all slavery is inherently wrong and that everyone who owns slaves maltreated or mistreated their slaves.

[John Weaver] Now, it is true that you and I cannot today, nor if we were alive back in the 1840s, 50s or 60s, nor could we then excuse any abuse at all. You see, any and all abuse must be condemned as unbiblical and un-Christian, unethical and immoral. A master could go only as far as the Word of God allowed him to go, and no further. To go any further would be unbiblical. Look back in your Bibles to Ephesians 6 and verse 9. Look at God's warning.

[John Weaver] He says, and you masters, do the same things unto them, that is, toward the slaves, forbearing threatening. Why should a master forebear threatening? Knowing that your master also is in heaven, neither is there any respective person with him. So what is God saying? If a master maltreats his slave, he better look heavenly, heavenward, because he has a master who can exact the same maltreatment from him. Turn over in your Bibles to the book of Colossians, chapter 4, verse 1. Colossians 4 verse 1. Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal, knowing that you also have a master in heaven. So what is God saying? The master better treat his servants, he better treat his slaves with justice and equality. Now let me just make an application. You said, Brother Weaver, what relevance does that verse have today? Because we don't have slaves or servants today. Well, yes we do, and I pointed out the fact that we're all slaves in one sense of the word, and we're all servants in one sense of the word.

[John Weaver] But you can translate that to employers and employees. In other words, we still have to treat those who work for us and under us with justice and equity. Were there abuses in that peculiar institution as slavery is sometimes called? And the answer is yes. Does that mean that slavery as an institution was wicked and vile in and of itself? And the answer is no. Does that mean that every slave owner was a wicked, vile, barbarous individual? And the answer is no. Just like I could take you throughout our land today and show you that there are families that are wicked in and of themselves. I mean, there's a wicked father and a wicked mother and wicked children, but does that mean that all families are therefore wicked? No. I can show you churches that are what you and I would call bad churches.

[John Weaver] They don't preach the gospel. They don't preach the truth. Does that therefore mean every church is bad? No. Let me use an expression that you're familiar with. You don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Just because the bathwater is dirty, you don't throw the baby out with it, you change the bathwater. So slavery in and of itself was not wicked and not wrong, even though there were some abuses in it.

[John Weaver] Now, Professors Robert William Fogel, who by the way later taught at Harvard University, Professors Robert William Fogel and Stanley L. Ingraman, has done a study of plantation records. They've written a book and the book is entitled Time on the Cross.

[John Weaver] Now the amazing thing about this book is that it has shaken modern day academia. Why? Because the records prove exactly the opposite of what the abolitionists said and what the politically correct theory is. The records prove that slaves were treated kindly and affectionately and protected and were well taken care of.

[John Weaver] Now, let's ask another question. From what direction did most abuse of the blacks come from? I'm going to answer it for you and I'm going to talk to you a minute. The answer is it came from the north.

[John Weaver] Now I told you I hope I did, of my excitement in our little local library back home. Because I was in the library one day, in fact I went in there to use their computer, since it was hooked up to the internet, and someone was using it and I had to wait, and I got to looking around and I found this book on the slave narratives of Georgia, and I ordered a copy of it, and I shared the book with you and told you about it.

[John Weaver] But while I was waiting, I saw this huge line of big black volumes, and all it had on it was a war rebellion, you know, on each volume. And I thought, oh, some Yankees written that, and, you know, it's probably deprecating the South and all of this. But I pulled one out and I looked at it and lo and behold I was so shocked because volume after volume after volume is the official records of both North and South of that entire war.

[John Weaver] I read for myself the dispatch that Beauregard sent to Anderson. I read for myself many of the dispatches, and I'm still reading in those records. So what I'm about to give you is not out of some ordinary book written by a northerner or a southerner, but what I'm about to read to you came from the official records. In a letter from J.T.K. Hayward to J.W. who subsequently forwarded to the United States Secretary of War, Simon Cameron, Hayward, in his letter, described how the northern troops, and here I'm quoting, were committing rapes on the Negroes and such like things. He continues, these things are not exaggerated by me and no punishment nor or none of any account has been meted out to them. Now listen to this.

[John Weaver] In Alabama, Yankee Colonel John B. Turchin allowed his men to do whatever they wanted to do in Athens, Alabama. And the official record shows he allowed his men to, quote, plunder and pillage the inhabitants They attempted an indecent outrage on her, the mistress of the plantation, and a servant girl. A part of this brigade went to the plantation and stayed in the Negro huts for weeks, debauching the females. Several soldiers committed rape on the person of a colored girl. And Colonel Turchin's actions were so appalling that he was court-martialed and convicted of the crimes on July 7, 1862.

[John Weaver] You say, well, he should have been. He was. And to show you the lack of character of Abraham Lincoln, one month later, Abraham Lincoln installed Colonel Turchin as a Brigadier General of the United States Volunteer Troops. and Turchin served until October 4, 1864. So it didn't matter that he and his men were raping and pillaging and plundering. Lincoln then took him a month later and made him a Brigadier General. Even after the fall of Richmond, General Grant was notified that a number of cases of atrocious rapes by these men, that is the Yankees, have already occurred.

[John Weaver] Their influence on the colored population is reported to be bad. Throughout the official records, you will find that most black folks in the South ran from their Yankee liberators. Not only did they commit heinous acts against the black women, but also against the black men as well. For instance, anytime you get around today, You will always find people talking about the black union soldiers. And they never talk about the blacks that served in the Confederate forces. But have you ever wondered how many of those blacks got into the Union forces?

[John Weaver] Let me tell you how. In a letter from General John A. Logan to General Grant, Logan states, quote, A major of colored troops is here with his party capturing Negroes with or without their consent. They are being conscripted. In May of 1862, Secretary of the Treasury Salmon Chase received the following message, quote, The Negroes were sad. Sometimes whole plantations, learning what was going on, ran off into the woods for refuge.

[John Weaver] The mode of enlistment was by violent seizure. The next day, the same plantation, the following was reported, quote, On some plantations, the wailing and screaming were loud and the black women threw themselves in despair on the ground. On some plantations, the people took the woods and were hunted up by the soldiers. He goes on to say, I doubt if the recruiting service in this country has ever been attended with such scenes before, end quote. So what was happening? The North was coming down and forcibly, taking black men from their families from their homes and forcing them to serve from Nashville Union General Russo wrote to General George Thomas the following quote officers in command of colored troops are in constant habit of pressing all able-bodied slaves into the military service of the United States and even after some of the blacks had been impressed into military service and forced to serve, they were treated worse than they had been on the plantations. For instance, here was Sam Marshall, who was a black soldier who had been impressed by the Yankees, and he tried to go back and visit his family.

[John Weaver] Here's the account of what happened to him. Quote, about a dozen of the soldiers did escort him. That is, they went and got him. They tied him to a tree and stripped him to the waist, lacerated his back with a cow skin, the marks of which Sam will carry to his graves. So they literally beat him. In Virginia, General Ennis N. Palmer wrote to General Butler. These are Yankees riding each other in 64. And here's what he said, quote, The Negroes will not go voluntarily, so I'm obliged to force them.

[John Weaver] The matter of collecting the colored men for laborers has been one of some difficulty. They must be forced to go. This may be considered a harsh measure, but we must not stop at trifles." What's he saying? We have to beat them. We have to make them go.

[John Weaver] Now, let me give you just a little contrast. This was written in 1862 by Dr. Lewis Steiner. He was a chief inspector of the United States Army Sanitary Commission and he was an eyewitness to the occupation of Frederick, Maryland by General Stonewall Jackson and his troops. And here's what Dr. Steiner says, quote, over 3,000 Negroes must be included in this number of Confederate troops. Wait a minute. I'm going on, but now in Stonewall's occupying force in Frederick, Maryland, there were over 3,000 blacks. He says over 3,000 Negroes must be included in this number of Confederate troops. These were clad in all kinds of uniforms, not only in cast-off or captured United States uniforms, but in coats with southern buttons, state buttons, etc.

[John Weaver] These were shabby, but not shabbier or seedier than those worn by white men in the rebel ranks. Most of the Negroes had arms, rifles, muskets, sabers, bowie knives, dirks, and were manifestly an integral portion of the Southern Confederacy Army."

[John Weaver] Now, was it just the nasty, mean old Southerners making these blacks serve in the Southern forces? Hardly. not with them armed riding amongst them. What were those blacks doing? They were helping to defend the South from the invasion of the North. They had as much to lose as anyone else.

[John Weaver] Now, I could today multiply examples. I've done so much reading and I've enjoyed the reading, but I have to pick and choose. But I want to give you one more example, and this one is a humorous one to me. You see, Captain Arthur L. Fremantle was a British observer who was attached to General Lee's army. And in 1863, Captain Fremantle went with General Lee on the Gettysburg Campaign.

[John Weaver] And he reported that during this time, he observed many instances of black loyalty to the Southern cause. And he recorded this one, for which I am extremely thankful. He says, quote, This little episode of a Southern slave leading a white Yankee soldier through a northern village alone and of his own accord would not have been gratifying to an abolitionist, nor would the sympathizers both in England and the North feel encouraged if they could hear the language of detestation and contempt with which the numerous Negroes with Southern armies speak of their liberators, end quote.

[John Weaver] What is so humorous about that? Here's a black slave alone taking a white Yankee prisoner through northern towns on his own accord. And the Englishman goes on to say, if the Yankees could only hear the contemptuous speech that the blacks have of their liberators, they would really be incensed.

[John Weaver] Now, the truth is, that race relations in the South were far better than they've ever been in the North. Let me tell you, it's tense. As race relations today are in the South, they're still better than they are in the North. It's even worse in the North.

[John Weaver] Now, I'm going to prove this to you. In the 1930s, under Roosevelt, reign. In the 1930, his WPA, Work Projects Administration, hired numerous journalists to go around and interview ex-slaves who naturally were still living. So the information that I'm about to share with you comes from first-hand information. These people were slaves. They live through it. The testimony was collected from over 2300 slaves. Steve Wilkins, who is a pastor out in Louisiana, who's written a book entitled Southern Slavery as it was, from which I'm thankful for this tidbit that I'm about to give you.

[John Weaver] He has done extensive research on the slave narratives. And he has found out of all the references of these slave narratives, when the slaves speak of their master, 86% of them refer to their master as either good or kind. 86% refer to their master as either good or kind.

[John Weaver] Let me give you some of these testimonies, and I'm going to be selective, but to me these were so refreshing. The first one is from Issa Morgan of Mobile, Alabama, and I'm going to use the language they used. Here's what Issa Morgan said, quote, Any time a slave worked overtime or cut more wood than he's supposed to, Massa pay him money for it, cause whenever one of us slaves see something we lack, Something we like. We did just like the white folks does now. Us bought it. Massa never whipped none of his slaves. No, none of our slaves ever tried to run away.

[John Weaver] They all know they was well off. The Yankees offered me a horse if and I would go north with them. But I just couldn't leave the Massa even though I did want that horse mighty bad. Here's what Simon Phillips from Alabama said. Listen carefully. People have the wrong idea of slave days. We was treated good. My master never laid a hand on me the whole time I was with him. Sometimes we loaned the master money when he was hard pushed. Did you hear that?

[John Weaver] Now, what's this about the slaves not ever having any money? There was another incident that I read about a woman, a black woman who was robbed. And she was robbed of three hundred dollars. And that was a lot of money back then. And so they caught the man who had robbed her and the court asked, well, was it possible that the slave woman had this kind of money?

[John Weaver] And her master got on the stand and testified, he said, yes. I know she had the money because I frequently had to bark from her. So so the slaves you see were on the task system and whenever they finished their task, they could do more work. or tend their own gardens and sell what they had and get money for themselves. So Simon Phillips said, when Master was hard pushed, we loaned him some of our money.

[John Weaver] Here's Mary Rice of Alabama. She said, Master Cullen and Mrs. Mary Jane was the best master and missus in the whole world. Once when I was awful sick, Mrs. Mary Jane had me brung to the big house. and put me in a room that sat on the other side of the kitchen so she could take care of me herself, cause it was a right for a piece to the quarter, and I had to be nuts day and night.

[John Weaver] I was happy all the time in slavery days, but there ain't much to get happy over now. Now what did this white woman do when her black slave got sick? She brought her up to the house and took care of her herself. In fact, you will find that was the standard procedure when one of the blacks really got sick. Doctors did not live just right down the street. And so the master or the master's wife took care of him.

[John Weaver] Here is a Mr. Davis from Marvel, Arkansas. He said, quote, The first of every week he the master give each and every single man a family or task for to do that week. And after that task is done, then they is through work that For that week and can then tend to patches that is the gardens. What he would give them to raise what they want to own. What the slaves raised on these patches that he did give them would be theirs. Whatsoever hit would be cotton or taters or what hit would be they own and they could sell it and have the money for themselves to buy what they want. So here's a slave saying, hey, we had money of our own. Here's Elijah Henry Hopkins of Little Rock, Arkansas.

[John Weaver] He says, quote, I was fed just like I was one of the master's children. They even put me to bed with them. You see, this discrimination of color wasn't as bad then as it is now. Now, listen, they handled you as a slave, but they didn't discriminate against you on account of color like they do now. In slavery times, a poor white man was worse off than a nigger, end quote. And one of the articles I read in the South Georgia or in the Georgia slave narratives. Here's one black slave lamenting the fact of the white family that lived down the road from them, how bad off that white family was, and how much better they had it as slaves. Here's what Sarah and Tom Douglas of Alabama says, quote, slavery times was show good times. We was fed and clothed and had nothing to worry about. Jane Georgiana of Alabama said, quote, Old Master dead and gone, and Old Mistress too. But I remember it was just like they was, and when they looked after us, which we belonged to them or they belonged to us, I don't know which it was.

[John Weaver] The times was better for the war. I goes to church and sings and prays, and when the good Lord takes me, I is ready to go. I expects to see Jesus and Old Mistress and Old Master when I gets to the heavenly land.

[John Weaver] Now listen to what she said. I don't know whether we belong to them or they belong to us.

[John Weaver] Now does that sound like there was real rancor and hard feelings between them? No. Here's Hannah Irwin of Alabama. I like this one. I suppose them Yankees was all right in their place, but they never belong in the South. Why miss? One of them asked me, what was them blank flowers in the field? You would think that a gentleman with all them decorations on himself would know to feel the cotton.

[John Weaver] And as for them a-setting me free? Miss, us niggers on the Bennett Place was free as soon as we was born. I always been free. Aunt Adeline of Fayetteville, Arkansas says, after the war many soldiers, Yankees, came to my mistress, Mrs. Blakely. trying to make her free me. I told them I was free, but I did not want to go anywhere, that I wanted to stay in the only home I'd ever known.

[John Weaver] Sometimes I was threatened for not leaving, but I stayed on. And by the way, you will find that most slaves did stay on the plantations. Betty Kirtland from Hazen, Arkansas, says when Mars Daniel come home, I like this one. When Mars Daniel come home, he went to my papa's house and says, John, you free. He says, I've been free as I want to be where I is. He went on to my grandpa's house and said, Toby, you're free. He raised up and says, you brought me here from Africa and North Carolina, and I'm going to stay with you as long as I ever get something to eat.

[John Weaver] You got to look after me. Mars Daniel say, well, I ain't running nobody off my place as long as they behave. Pert and I ever nigger set tight till he died of the old sets. Mars Daniel said to my grandpa, Toby, you ain't my nigger. Grandpa raised up and said, I is too.

[John Weaver] Now, here's the man coming along saying to his slaves, you're free. You don't belong to me anymore. They say, yes, we do. And we're staying. Cora Gilliam of Little Rock, Arkansas. I tell you, lady, if the rough element from the North had stayed out of the South, the trouble of reconstruction would not have happened. They tried to excite the colored against their white friends. Did you hear that? They tried to excite the colored against their white friends. The white folks were still kind to them what had been their slaves.

[John Weaver] They would have helped them get started. I know that. I always say that if the South could have been left to adjust itself, both white and colored would have been better off.

[John Weaver] Now, you're talking about people who live through it. Many slaves chose to suffer with their masters rather than take an oath of allegiance to the Union. For example, a slave named Robin was captured with his master during Morgan's raid in Ohio, and he was separated from his master in prison and was offered his liberty several times if he would simply take the oath of loyalty to the union. He refused.

[John Weaver] And here is what he said. I will never disgrace my family by such an oath. And you got to remember, his family was his master's family. That's who he was talking about. A number of servants were captured at Vicksburg and were offered their freedom and federal protection, but they refused and chose to be sent to northern prisons to suffer with their fellow white soldiers. After a capture of a group of Virginia slave owners with their slaves, there was also a free black man among the slaves. And when the slaves were offered their freedom, if they would give the loyalty oath to the union, they came to this free black man.

[John Weaver] And here's what he told him. I can't take no such oath. I was a secession Negro. Lord, he believed in secession. He said, I'm not going to take an oath of loyalty. And this one I like. You say, well, brother, we were probably some of these people were just coerced. No, no. Point Lookout, there was a planter who was captured with his slave. And the planter got freedom for himself by taking the oath of loyalty to the Union. When they went to his slave and asked him to take the oath of loyalty to the Union, the slave refused. And then they said, but your master has already taken the oath. And the slave replied with disgust, Maxwell has no principles. Slave had better sense than the master did.

[John Weaver] And I'll tell you something else. Many slaves thanked God for their slavery in this country. I want you to stop and think about this. What did they have in Africa? Hard slavery. Cannibalism. And it still exists over there. And they were brought to this country and down south, they at least had a Christian influence upon them. Martin Jackson of Texas puts it this way. He says, I believe that slavery in this country, taking everything into consideration, was a godsend for the slaves. The 20 million Negroes are descended from 4 million sent over from Africa. If it had not been for the slave traffic, we would still be living in Africa.

[John Weaver] I would be a heathen and my children would be heathens. In other words, his idea was exactly what Joseph said to his brethren, you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good. George Fleming of Lawrence, South Carolina, said this, quote, I long to see Mars Sam Fleming, Lord child, that's the best white man, whatever breathed the good air. I still goes to where he's buried every time I gets a chance to venture towards Lawrence as old as I is. I still drop a tear when I sees his grave for he show was good to me and all his other Clare Davis of Alabama said, It was the good old days. How I long to be back with my old folks and play with the children down by the creek.

[John Weaver] Ain't nothing like it today, no sir. They tell me that when a person crosses that river, the Lord gives them whatever he wants. I done told the Lord I don't want nothing much. Only my home and my white folks. I don't think that's much to ask for. I suppose he'll send me back there. I've been waiting for him to call. Adaline Johnson Winsborough South Carolina says, I hope and praise to get to heaven.

[John Weaver] I'll be satisfied to see my savior so that my old master worshiped and my husband preached about. I want to be in heaven with all my white folks just to wait on them and love them and serve them sort of like I did in slavery time. That would be heaven enough for old Adaline. Nicey Pugh says it like this, I was born a slave, but I ain't never been one.

[John Weaver] I've been a worker for good peoples. You wouldn't call that being a slave, would you, white folks? Now, let me give you what I call one of the most heart-touching speeches I've ever heard. There was a representative from Mississippi, John F. Harrison. John F. Harrison was a Republican he was from Washington County Mississippi. And he was also a black man. In Mississippi there was a bill being presented before the state legislature and that bill. Was asking for money.

[John Weaver] To build a Confederate memorial at Capitol Square. and Jackson Mississippi.

[John Weaver] Now there were a number of blacks at that time in the Mississippi legislature and Representative John Harris was one. The bill passed 57 to 41 to erect that Confederate monument. And one of the reasons it passed was because of the speech that this black Southerner gave before the legislature. His speech was printed in its entirety in the Daily Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Mississippi on February 23, 1890.

[John Weaver] And let me read you part of this. Listen to what he says. Mr. Speaker, I have arisen here in my place to offer a few words on the bill. I have come from a sickbed. Perhaps it was not true that for me to come but Sir I could not rest quietly in my room without contributing a few remarks of my own. I was sorry to hear the speech of the young gentleman from Marshall County I'm sorry that any son of a soldier should go on record as opposed to the erection of a monument in honor of the brave dead and Sir I'm convinced that he had he seen what I saw at Seven Pines And in the seven days fighting around Richmond, the battlefield covered with the mangled forms of those who fought for their country and for their country's honor. He would not have made that speech.

[John Weaver] When the news came that the South had been invaded. Did you hear that? This is a black man speaking. When the news came that the South had been invaded, those men went forth to fight for what they believed, and they made no requests for monuments. But they died, and their virtues should be remembered. Sir, I went with them. I, too, wore the gray, the same color my master wore.

[John Weaver] We stayed four long years, and if that war had gone on till now, I would have been there yet. I want to honor those brave men who died for their convictions. When my mother died, I was a boy. Who, sir, then acted the part of a mother to the orphaned slave boy but my old missus? were she living now, or could speak to me from those higher realms where all were gathered the sainted dead, she would tell me to vote for this bill. And sir, I shall vote for it. I want it known to all the world that my vote is given in favor of the bill to erect a monument in honor of the Confederate dead." End quote.

[John Weaver] Did you hear what that black representative said? He said, I too wore the gray. The same color my master war. We stayed for long years. And if the war was still going on, I would be there yet. Thankfully, that Confederate memorial was erected. I don't know if you've ever thought about this or not. But the very fact. That there were not any slave uprisings during the war.

[John Weaver] demonstrates the relationship that the masters had with their slaves. As one author noted, a thousand torches in a thousand black hands would have been enough to empty the Confederate army. Why? Those men would have returned from those lines to protect their homes and their families. But there was none of that. In fact, you find just the opposite. If I had time today, I could keep going and keep going and give you illustration after illustration how the blacks fought alongside the whites in defending the South.

[John Weaver] Now, I want to make an application today because I want to make all of this relevant, okay? I used a word in this sermon and in other lessons that is not politically correct today. But I use the word quoting those who said it themselves and that is the word nigger. I did not use the word contemptuously. I was just giving the quote. You will find that words change. Connotations of word change. People change. The blacks used to refer to themselves as niggers. Then they went to colored people. Then they went to persons of color, or to black people, or to African-Americans. So words are mutable. They change. Now, I do not know where the word nigger originally came from. The word nigger or niggardly was in the dictionary before a black man ever set foot around us, OK? If you will go to any dictionary, you can look up the word niggardly or nigger, and it simply means to be selfish, to be, you know, not willing to share, in other words, to be miserly.

[John Weaver] It's a word that is used. Now, when the word is applied to the blacks, I do not know if it is a slang from Nigeria or the Niger River. In fact, the word Niger or nigger depending on your pronunciation is found even in the Book of Acts. Simon who was called Niger.

[John Weaver] Now, the Spanish negro just means black. I'm not sure how to pronounce the French word Negra, N-E-G-R-A. It means black as well. In fact, I have a black friend who was telling me that he went shopping a few weeks ago and he had a lot of fun because he went up to the white sales clerk and he said, you know, I did not know that this store carried items made especially for people of my race.

[John Weaver] The woman said, what are you talking about? He said, well, look at these socks. And look at this sweatshirt and it had on there made for and it had black. All right. No, no, no. Black had Negro on it. He said, so this was made just for for the Negroes. Is that right? And the woman turned all kind of shades of red and she got embarrassed. And of course, he was smiling because he already knew. And she called another sales clerk over and the sales clerk, she got embarrassed. And then finally, they got a third one and they said, oh, the word Negro is just Spanish for black. That just means that this is a black, you know, shirt. That's all it meant. Because of the Hispanics day, they're writing it in English and in Spanish as well. And of course, he just laughed.

[John Weaver] He had a big ball out of the whole thing. Now, the point is this. In the 1800s, The blacks referred to themselves as niggers. It was not a slang term. It was not a term of contempt. It was a colloquialism. Whites referred to them as that. Even when I was a boy, which has not been that long ago, I've heard blacks call other blacks niggers. I have heard that in recent years as well.

[John Weaver] Now you say, but we were Does that mean you want to go around calling every black man a nigger? No. I would suppose today it's kind of like a brother telling his sister that she's ugly. The brother might can do it, but nobody else better do it. You see what I'm saying?

[John Weaver] Now, let me just try to explain something to you. I'm going to show you some scriptures. I'm going to tell you how I was raised. You may have been raised this way. You may not have been. I'm not saying that my raising is the standard. It is not. The Bible is the standard. Okay? But I believe that the way I was raised in this area is biblical. You say, well, how were you raised? with the understanding that there are niggers and there are black folks just like there's white trash and white folks.

[John Weaver] The impotence is not dependent upon the color but upon the character. Any black person can be a nigger or a black man, just like any white person can be a white man or white trash, or what you want to call it. Honky, it doesn't matter. Now, I want to show you something. Look in your Bibles to the book of Proverbs chapter 26. Proverbs 26. Proverbs 26, look at verse 1.

[John Weaver] Scripture says a snow and summer and is raining harvest. So honor is not seeming seemly for a fool. Now, no honor is not seemingly for a fool, but honor is seemingly for a wise man. That's the opposite. What's a wise man? A wise man is one that knows the word of God and obeys the word of God. Let me put that in another way. A wise man is someone that has character and integrity and honor. So a black man, let's put it like this, can either be a fool or a nigger or a black man or an honorable man, just like a white man can either be a fool or white trash or a white man, depending upon his character. Look in verse 8, he says, As he that bindeth a stone to a sling, so as he that giveth honor to a fool. You don't give honor to someone who does not deserve honor. That's all there is to it. I don't care what color he is. Pink, purple, polka dot. You don't give honor to someone who does not deserve honor.

[John Weaver] Look in Proverbs 29, verse 23. Proverbs 29, verse 23. A man's pride shall bring him low, but honor shall uphold the humble in spirit. What is going to uphold us? Honor. Integrity. Character. Let me tell you something, folks. You may not ever think it has any influence on you, but I can tell you it has influence on me. Because sometimes when I'm tempted to do something, my first reaction is, I've got better character than that. I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to stoop that low. I will not. Not only because of God's Word, but because of character and integrity. I'm just not going to do certain things. I'm not. Now, the Bible says in Romans 13, verse 7, that we're to give honor to whom honor is due.

[John Weaver] Now, let me ask you a question. Is honor due to a sorry, lazy, indolent, worthless black man? No. Let me ask another way. Is honor due to a sorry, worthless, lazy, indolent, white man? No. There was a black man that I worked with when I was in college. He was one of the hardest working men I've ever known. He was always on time. He was never late. He never messed around. When he was supposed to be working, he worked. He had four children. And that man put all four of his children through college without government aid.

[John Weaver] Now, do I respect him? You better believe I do. He was a hard-working man.

[John Weaver] Now, the point I'm trying to make is this. I don't care what color you are. You can't demand honor. You have to earn honor. You have to have the character and the integrity. That will enable people to honor you. I told this to a black man recently. And I still believe it's the truth. I'm ashamed to say it. But most black folks and most white folks under 40 today are not worth shooting.

[John Weaver] What do I mean by that? They have no character. They have no convictions. They have no integrity. They won't work. They're worthless. And all they're looking for is a government handout. White, black, brown, all. The problem that we're facing with Y2K next year is going to be far different from the recession in 29 and 30. Let me tell you why. Because in 29 and 30 there was still some character and some honesty. Today there is none. So what does this mean? It means we must learn to recognize character and integrity in people.

[John Weaver] Let me just show you. Let me give you an example. I was here in town getting gas in order to drive down to Florida to teach. Just as I got ready to go pay for the gas, I was walking to the door. And I was walking quickly because I was in a hurry. And coming from the opposite direction, or at an angle from me, was a black man Who evidently was in a hurry as well. He's walking as fast as I was. And it looked exactly like we were going to hit that door at the same time. And I just, I saw him and I saw the expression on his face.

[John Weaver] And I knew what he was thinking. And so I quick stepped. And I got to the door a step before he did. And I knew what he was thinking. I was going to step in and slam the door and let him open. But when I got there, I grabbed the door and I held it open. And I said, go right on in. I held the door open for him.

[John Weaver] You should have seen the smile on his face. I mean, from ear to ear. And he reached up and he patted me on the shoulder. He said, thank you, sir. Thank you, sir. And he went right on in.

[John Weaver] Now, the point that I'm making, I was in a hurry, but so was he. And all I was was just kind. And what did he do? Thank you, sir. Instead of cussing me, he thanked me. So, the point I'm making is, folks, we need to go back to character and honor. You judge a man by what he's made of. how he lives, and what he does. And I don't care if you're white as a day is long. If you're sorry, you're sorry.

[John Weaver] If you know good, you know good. And we need to develop biblical and godly character. Let's pray. Father, we ask for your blessing and help today. Speak to our hearts. Enable us to live for Thee. and to honor thee in all that we do, in Christ's name, amen.

Where We Are & How We Got Here # 8 of 14

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	230415926
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Romans: Sin, Judgment, and Gospel Foundations: Prepared Hearts
Genre	Sermon
Date	1998-08-23
Dictation Name
Book	Book 119: Where We Are & How We Got Here — Chapter 8
Source Timed Segments	95

Formatted Transcript

Introduction and Biblical Foundation

Weaver introduces the topic of race relations in the context of Southern slavery, referencing Ephesians 6:5-9 to establish that slavery is biblically regulated and not inherently evil.

All right, let's begin today. I've been dealing with where we are and how we got here. And I started in the 1840s and 60s and been dealing with what is known as the War of Northern Aggression. So in the last five or six or four parts, anyhow, I've been dealing with Southern slavery and before that, the biblical view of slavery. So let's look in Ephesians chapter six. Ephesians 6, beginning there with verse 5. Ephesians 6, verse 5. Ephesians 6, verse 5.

God says, "Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling and singleness of your heart as unto Christ." Now let me remind you that the word "servants" there is the Greek word *doulos*, which literally means slaves. "Slaves" or "servants," be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh with fear and trembling and singleness of your heart as unto Christ. "Not with eye service as men pleasers, but as the servants of Christ doing the will of God from the heart. With goodwill doing service as to the Lord and not to men. Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. And ye masters," that is, those who are over the slaves, "ye masters do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening, knowing that your master also is in heaven, neither is there respect of persons with him."

Now, I'm not going to take the time today to review as I normally do, but may I point out the fact that we went over two Sundays dealing with the biblical view of slavery. I pointed out how that slavery was God-ordained. It is not evil, nor wicked, nor wrong in and of itself. In fact, God lays down the regulations of the Bible for regulating not only the master, but the slave as well. So there is to be a relationship between slave and master, or slaves and masters, that is regulated by the word of God.

Now, as we've been talking about Southern slavery, particularly, I want to deal today with what I'm just simply calling race relations. It may surprise many to discover that the relation that existed between masters and slaves in the old South was one of affection, kindness and understanding.

The Patriarchal Nature of Southern Slavery

Weaver asserts that slavery in the South was patriarchal, with slaves treated as family members, citing Judge George L. Christian's 1907 speech to Confederate veterans.

Now, it is true there was great emotional, cultural, and racial differences between blacks and whites, even back then. But still, in the antebellum South, that relation was still one of kindness and graciousness and affection. In fact, there was never the hatred and the bigotry and the abuse and the misuse in the South that is so commonly reported by the North, especially by the propaganda of the abolitionists there. In fact, it is interesting to discover that any abuse, or I would say this, the majority of the abuse and misuse of the blacks was not in the South, but it was in the North. And it was also done in the South by the North on the part of the North when they did indeed come into the country. Judge George L. Christian made this statement. I'm going to read you the statement. And I'm going to tell you where and when the statement was made. Listen carefully. This is a judge speaking. Judge George L. Christian said, quote, "In the first place, slavery as it existed in the South was patriarchal in its character."

"The slaves," and then he puts in parentheses, "Servants, as we call them, the slaves, servants, as we call them, were regarded and treated as members of the families to which they severally belong. With rare exceptions, they were treated with kindness and consideration. And frequently the relations between the slave and his owner were those of real affection and confidence." So here is a judge who is saying that the slavery that existed in the antebellum South was patriarchal in nature. In fact, the slave counted himself as part of that family. In fact, slaves usually identified themselves when asked who they were. They would say, "Well, I'm one of Colonel Carey's people," or "I'm one of Brother Thomason's people." In other words, they referred to themselves as the people of that particular family. In fact, I pointed out in the book that I have, which is a copy of the slave narratives of Georgia, how every one of those slaves took the name of the owner of the plantation on which they lived. So if you hear about a Coffee, then the plantation owner's last name was Coffee, and so on down the line.

Now, Judge Christian himself was a Confederate veteran. And Judge Christian made this statement and delivered these remarks to the reunion of the Confederate veterans held in Richmond, Virginia in 1907. Now the point that I'm trying to make is this. In 1907 when he was saying that slavery in the South was patriarchal in nature, and he was delivering these remarks to the Union of Confederate Veterans, here were men who were alive that knew and understood. And Judge Christian could not have made any false statements without someone being there who knew the truth to challenge him. You see what I'm saying?

So the statement had to be true. Because there were too many people alive at that particular time that could have corrected it. So he is saying then that the relationship that existed between the blacks and the whites at that particular time was one of benevolence and kindness. And of course, I'm going to point out the fact that all of the honest Europeans and the honest northerners concurred in this fact.

Testimonies of Kindness from European and Northern Observers

Weaver quotes Englishmen Sir Charles Lyell and Sir James S. Buckingham, and Northern abolitionist Frederick Law Olmsted, who acknowledged the good treatment of slaves in the South compared to the North.

For instance, in the 1840s, there was an Englishman, Sir Charles Lyell, who traveled throughout the South, and he put all of his observations in a book, and his book is entitled *Travels in North America in the Years 1841-1842*. And Lyell, in his book, mentioned the remarkable affection that existed between black and white, and between master and slave. And then he made this statement, that the slaves were, quote, "better fed than the large part of the laboring class of Europe," end quote. So here's an Englishman saying that the slaves in the South were better treated and better fed than a large part of the laboring class in Europe.

Now Lyell did not report that there were beatings and whips and misconduct and abuse. He may not have agreed with the institution of slavery. But he did have to admit the fact that the slaves were treated well and they were fed well also. Even the northern abolitionist, Frederick Law Olmsted, who was honest, had to concur that in the South the blacks were treated decently and rightly. There was another Englishman, Sir James S. Buckingham, who in 1842 wrote, and listen to what he says, quote, "This is only one among the many proofs I had witnessed of the fact that the prejudice of color is not nearly so strong in the South as it is in the North."

Now, let me just stop there. He's going on. He's going to make a statement. But he's saying that the prejudice and the bigotry was worse in the North than it was in the South. So he says, "This is only one among the many proofs I had witnessed of the fact that the prejudice of color is not nearly so strong in the South as in the North." Now, listen. "In the South, it is not at all uncommon to see the black slaves of both sexes shake hands with white people when they meet and interchange friendly personal inquiries. But at the North, I do not remember to have witnessed this once. And neither in Boston, New York, or Philadelphia would white persons generally like to be seen shaking hands and talking familiarly with blacks in the streets." So here is another Englishman saying that the prejudice was on the part of the North.

Now, I want you to understand here is a general truth. And that general truth is that the black slaves in the South were treated with kindness and affection, and it was indeed a fact that they were well taken care of.

Abuse as the Exception, Not the Rule

Weaver acknowledges some mistreatment but argues it was rare and condemned by public opinion, citing Robert Lewis Dabney and Dr. William S. White.

Now, that does not mean that there were no exceptions. You see, Southern slavery was a combination of biblical or Christian slavery and pagan slavery. Because very clearly, not everyone who owned slaves in the South was a Christian. And it should be very obvious that every Christian who owned slaves probably was not as biblical as he could have been or should have been at all times. So there had to be some exceptions.

Now, there was indeed and undoubtedly some mistreatment. But let me point out the fact that this mistreatment was the exception and not the rule. Robert Lewis Dabney, who was a Presbyterian theologian—he's written, I don't know, seven or eight books; I have about all the books that he's ever written—he was also aide-de-camp to Stonewall Jackson. Robert Lewis Dabney said this, and I quote, "Now while we freely admit that there were in the South instances of criminal barbarity and corporal punishments, they were relatively rare and infrequent and were strongly reprobated by public opinion." In other words, Dabney is saying, yes, there were some who were cruel to their slaves, but they were rare, they were the exceptions, and the public opinion reprobated masters who treated their slaves thusly. Dr. William S. White, who was himself a Presbyterian pastor, and I might add, he was for a while Stonewall Jackson's pastor, he said this, listen, quote, "In all lands there are husbands and fathers who maltreat their wives and children. So there are masters among us who maltreat their slaves."

"But the prevailing spirit is one of great kindness, showing itself in innumerable ways. Their mutual dependence begets mutual affection and attachment. I could fill volumes with incidents occurring under my own eyes, illustrating this statement. But I write for my own people, especially my own children, and not for the abolitionists."

Now, listen to what he said. He says there are fathers who mistreat their children. There are husbands who mistreat their wives. Now, just because one father mistreats his child does not mean that every father is therefore wicked and vile and evil. Just because one husband beats his wife does not mean that every other husband is a wife-beater. And likewise, just because there is an occasional barbarous act by an unconverted individual, does not mean, therefore, that all slavery is inherently wrong and that everyone who owns slaves maltreated or mistreated their slaves.

Now, it is true that you and I cannot today, nor if we were alive back in the 1840s, 50s or 60s, nor could we then excuse any abuse at all. You see, any and all abuse must be condemned as unbiblical and un-Christian, unethical and immoral. A master could go only as far as the Word of God allowed him to go, and no further. To go any further would be unbiblical. Look back in your Bibles to Ephesians 6 and verse 9. Look at God's warning.

Biblical Warnings to Masters and Modern Application

Weaver expounds Ephesians 6:9 and Colossians 4:1, warning masters of God's judgment and applying the principle to modern employer-employee relationships.

He says, "And you masters, do the same things unto them," that is, toward the slaves, "forbearing threatening." Why should a master forbear threatening? "Knowing that your master also is in heaven, neither is there any respect of persons with him." So what is God saying? If a master maltreats his slave, he better look heavenward, because he has a master who can exact the same maltreatment from him. Turn over in your Bibles to the book of Colossians, chapter 4, verse 1. Colossians 4 verse 1.

Scripture Reading — Colossians 4:1

"Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal, knowing that you also have a master in heaven."

So what is God saying? The master better treat his servants, he better treat his slaves with justice and equality. Now let me just make an application. You said, "Brother Weaver, what relevance does that verse have today? Because we don't have slaves or servants today." Well, yes we do, and I pointed out the fact that we're all slaves in one sense of the word, and we're all servants in one sense of the word.

But you can translate that to employers and employees. In other words, we still have to treat those who work for us and under us with justice and equity. Were there abuses in that peculiar institution as slavery is sometimes called? And the answer is yes. Does that mean that slavery as an institution was wicked and vile in and of itself? And the answer is no. Does that mean that every slave owner was a wicked, vile, barbarous individual? And the answer is no. Just like I could take you throughout our land today and show you that there are families that are wicked in and of themselves. I mean, there's a wicked father and a wicked mother and wicked children, but does that mean that all families are therefore wicked? No. I can show you churches that are what you and I would call bad churches.

They don't preach the gospel. They don't preach the truth. Does that therefore mean every church is bad? No. Let me use an expression that you're familiar with. You don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Just because the bathwater is dirty, you don't throw the baby out with it, you change the bathwater. So slavery in and of itself was not wicked and not wrong, even though there were some abuses in it.

Evidence from Plantation Records and Official War Documents

Weaver cites the book *Time on the Cross* and official war records to show that slaves were well-treated and that most abuse came from Northern troops, including rapes and forced conscription.

Now, Professors Robert William Fogel, who by the way later taught at Harvard University, and Stanley L. Engerman, have done a study of plantation records. They've written a book and the book is entitled *Time on the Cross*. Now the amazing thing about this book is that it has shaken modern day academia. Why? Because the records prove exactly the opposite of what the abolitionists said and what the politically correct theory is. The records prove that slaves were treated kindly and affectionately and protected and were well taken care of.

Now, let's ask another question. From what direction did most abuse of the blacks come from? I'm going to answer it for you and I'm going to talk to you a minute. The answer is it came from the North.

Now I told you, I hope I did, of my excitement in our little local library back home. Because I was in the library one day, in fact I went in there to use their computer, since it was hooked up to the internet, and someone was using it and I had to wait, and I got to looking around and I found this book on the slave narratives of Georgia, and I ordered a copy of it, and I shared the book with you and told you about it. But while I was waiting, I saw this huge line of big black volumes, and all it had on it was "War of the Rebellion," you know, on each volume. And I thought, "Oh, some Yankee's written that," and, you know, it's probably deprecating the South and all of this. But I pulled one out and I looked at it and lo and behold I was so shocked because volume after volume after volume is the official records of both North and South of that entire war.

I read for myself the dispatch that Beauregard sent to Anderson. I read for myself many of the dispatches, and I'm still reading in those records. So what I'm about to give you is not out of some ordinary book written by a northerner or a southerner, but what I'm about to read to you came from the official records. In a letter from J.T.K. Hayward to J.W., who subsequently forwarded to the United States Secretary of War, Simon Cameron, Hayward, in his letter, described how the northern troops, and here I'm quoting, "were committing rapes on the Negroes and such like things." He continues, "These things are not exaggerated by me and no punishment, or none of any account, has been meted out to them." Now listen to this. In Alabama, Yankee Colonel John B. Turchin allowed his men to do whatever they wanted to do in Athens, Alabama. And the official record shows he allowed his men to, quote, "plunder and pillage the inhabitants. They attempted an indecent outrage on her, the mistress of the plantation, and a servant girl. A part of this brigade went to the plantation and stayed in the Negro huts for weeks, debauching the females. Several soldiers committed rape on the person of a colored girl." And Colonel Turchin's actions were so appalling that he was court-martialed and convicted of the crimes on July 7, 1862.

You say, "Well, he should have been." He was. And to show you the lack of character of Abraham Lincoln, one month later, Abraham Lincoln installed Colonel Turchin as a Brigadier General of the United States Volunteer Troops. And Turchin served until October 4, 1864. So it didn't matter that he and his men were raping and pillaging and plundering. Lincoln then took him a month later and made him a Brigadier General. Even after the fall of Richmond, General Grant was notified that "a number of cases of atrocious rapes by these men," that is the Yankees, "have already occurred." "Their influence on the colored population is reported to be bad." Throughout the official records, you will find that most black folks in the South ran from their Yankee liberators. Not only did they commit heinous acts against the black women, but also against the black men as well. For instance, anytime you get around today, you will always find people talking about the black Union soldiers. And they never talk about the blacks that served in the Confederate forces. But have you ever wondered how many of those blacks got into the Union forces?

Let me tell you how. In a letter from General John A. Logan to General Grant, Logan states, quote, "A major of colored troops is here with his party capturing Negroes with or without their consent. They are being conscripted." In May of 1862, Secretary of the Treasury Salmon Chase received the following message, quote, "The Negroes were sad. Sometimes whole plantations, learning what was going on, ran off into the woods for refuge." "The mode of enlistment was by violent seizure." The next day, on the same plantation, the following was reported, quote, "On some plantations, the wailing and screaming were loud and the black women threw themselves in despair on the ground. On some plantations, the people took the woods and were hunted up by the soldiers." He goes on to say, "I doubt if the recruiting service in this country has ever been attended with such scenes before," end quote. So what was happening? The North was coming down and forcibly taking black men from their families, from their homes, and forcing them to serve. From Nashville, Union General Rousseau wrote to General George Thomas the following, quote, "Officers in command of colored troops are in constant habit of pressing all able-bodied slaves into the military service of the United States." And even after some of the blacks had been impressed into military service and forced to serve, they were treated worse than they had been on the plantations. For instance, here was Sam Marshall, who was a black soldier who had been impressed by the Yankees, and he tried to go back and visit his family.

Here's the account of what happened to him. Quote, "About a dozen of the soldiers did escort him." That is, they went and got him. "They tied him to a tree and stripped him to the waist, lacerated his back with a cow skin, the marks of which Sam will carry to his grave." So they literally beat him. In Virginia, General Ennis N. Palmer wrote to General Butler. These are Yankees writing each other in '64. And here's what he said, quote, "The Negroes will not go voluntarily, so I'm obliged to force them."

"The matter of collecting the colored men for laborers has been one of some difficulty. They must be forced to go. This may be considered a harsh measure, but we must not stop at trifles." What's he saying? We have to beat them. We have to make them go.

Black Loyalty to the Confederacy

Weaver provides examples of blacks serving willingly in the Confederate army and refusing Union offers of freedom, demonstrating their loyalty to the South.

Now, let me give you just a little contrast. This was written in 1862 by Dr. Lewis Steiner. He was a chief inspector of the United States Army Sanitary Commission and he was an eyewitness to the occupation of Frederick, Maryland by General Stonewall Jackson and his troops. And here's what Dr. Steiner says, quote, "Over 3,000 Negroes must be included in this number of Confederate troops." Wait a minute. I'm going on, but now in Stonewall's occupying force in Frederick, Maryland, there were over 3,000 blacks. He says, "Over 3,000 Negroes must be included in this number of Confederate troops. These were clad in all kinds of uniforms, not only in cast-off or captured United States uniforms, but in coats with southern buttons, state buttons, etc."

"These were shabby, but not shabbier or seedier than those worn by white men in the rebel ranks. Most of the Negroes had arms, rifles, muskets, sabers, bowie knives, dirks, and were manifestly an integral portion of the Southern Confederacy Army." Now, was it just the nasty, mean old Southerners making these blacks serve in the Southern forces? Hardly. Not with them armed, riding amongst them. What were those blacks doing? They were helping to defend the South from the invasion of the North. They had as much to lose as anyone else.

Now, I could today multiply examples. I've done so much reading and I've enjoyed the reading, but I have to pick and choose. But I want to give you one more example, and this one is a humorous one to me. You see, Captain Arthur L. Fremantle was a British observer who was attached to General Lee's army. And in 1863, Captain Fremantle went with General Lee on the Gettysburg Campaign. And he reported that during this time, he observed many instances of black loyalty to the Southern cause. And he recorded this one, for which I am extremely thankful. He says, quote, "This little episode of a Southern slave leading a white Yankee soldier through a northern village alone and of his own accord would not have been gratifying to an abolitionist, nor would the sympathizers both in England and the North feel encouraged if they could hear the language of detestation and contempt with which the numerous Negroes with Southern armies speak of their liberators," end quote.

What is so humorous about that? Here's a black slave alone taking a white Yankee prisoner through northern towns on his own accord. And the Englishman goes on to say, if the Yankees could only hear the contemptuous speech that the blacks have of their liberators, they would really be incensed.

First-Hand Slave Narratives Affirming Good Treatment

Weaver shares excerpts from WPA slave narratives in which former slaves speak positively of their masters, with 86% describing them as good or kind.

Now, the truth is, that race relations in the South were far better than they've ever been in the North. Let me tell you, as tense as race relations today are in the South, they're still better than they are in the North. It's even worse in the North. Now, I'm going to prove this to you. In the 1930s, under Roosevelt's reign, in the 1930s, his WPA, Work Projects Administration, hired numerous journalists to go around and interview ex-slaves who naturally were still living. So the information that I'm about to share with you comes from first-hand information. These people were slaves. They lived through it. The testimony was collected from over 2,300 slaves. Steve Wilkins, who is a pastor out in Louisiana, who's written a book entitled *Southern Slavery as It Was*, from which I'm thankful for this tidbit that I'm about to give you.

He has done extensive research on the slave narratives. And he has found out of all the references of these slave narratives, when the slaves speak of their master, 86% of them refer to their master as either good or kind. 86% refer to their master as either good or kind.

Let me give you some of these testimonies, and I'm going to be selective, but to me these were so refreshing. The first one is from Issa Morgan of Mobile, Alabama, and I'm going to use the language they used. Here's what Issa Morgan said, quote, "Any time a slave worked overtime or cut more wood than he's supposed to, Massa pay him money for it, 'cause whenever one of us slaves see something we lack, something we like, we did just like the white folks does now. Us bought it. Massa never whipped none of his slaves. No, none of our slaves ever tried to run away." "They all know they was well off. The Yankees offered me a horse if I would go north with them. But I just couldn't leave the Massa even though I did want that horse mighty bad." Here's what Simon Phillips from Alabama said. Listen carefully. "People have the wrong idea of slave days. We was treated good. My master never laid a hand on me the whole time I was with him. Sometimes we loaned the master money when he was hard pushed." Did you hear that?

Now, what's this about the slaves not ever having any money? There was another incident that I read about a woman, a black woman who was robbed. And she was robbed of three hundred dollars. And that was a lot of money back then. And so they caught the man who had robbed her and the court asked, "Well, was it possible that the slave woman had this kind of money?" And her master got on the stand and testified, he said, "Yes. I know she had the money because I frequently had to borrow from her." So the slaves, you see, were on the task system and whenever they finished their task, they could do more work, or tend their own gardens and sell what they had and get money for themselves. So Simon Phillips said, "When Master was hard pushed, we loaned him some of our money."

Here's Mary Rice of Alabama. She said, "Master Cullen and Mrs. Mary Jane was the best master and missus in the whole world. Once when I was awful sick, Mrs. Mary Jane had me brung to the big house and put me in a room that sat on the other side of the kitchen so she could take care of me herself, 'cause it was a right far piece to the quarter, and I had to be nursed day and night." "I was happy all the time in slavery days, but there ain't much to get happy over now." Now what did this white woman do when her black slave got sick? She brought her up to the house and took care of her herself. In fact, you will find that was the standard procedure when one of the blacks really got sick. Doctors did not live just right down the street. And so the master or the master's wife took care of him.

Here is a Mr. Davis from Marvel, Arkansas. He said, quote, "The first of every week he, the master, give each and every single man a family or task for to do that week. And after that task is done, then they is through work for that week and can then tend to patches, that is the gardens, what he would give them to raise what they want to own. What the slaves raised on these patches that he did give them would be theirs. Whatsoever it would be, cotton or taters or what it would be, they own and they could sell it and have the money for themselves to buy what they want." So here's a slave saying, "Hey, we had money of our own." Here's Elijah Henry Hopkins of Little Rock, Arkansas.

He says, quote, "I was fed just like I was one of the master's children. They even put me to bed with them. You see, this discrimination of color wasn't as bad then as it is now. Now, listen, they handled you as a slave, but they didn't discriminate against you on account of color like they do now. In slavery times, a poor white man was worse off than a nigger," end quote. And one of the articles I read in the South Georgia or in the Georgia slave narratives, here's one black slave lamenting the fact of the white family that lived down the road from them, how bad off that white family was, and how much better they had it as slaves. Here's what Sarah and Tom Douglas of Alabama says, quote, "Slavery times was sure good times. We was fed and clothed and had nothing to worry about." Jane Georgiana of Alabama said, quote, "Old Master dead and gone, and Old Mistress too. But I remember it was just like they was, and when they looked after us, which we belonged to them or they belonged to us, I don't know which it was."

"The times was better for the war. I goes to church and sings and prays, and when the good Lord takes me, I is ready to go. I expects to see Jesus and Old Mistress and Old Master when I gets to the heavenly land." Now listen to what she said. "I don't know whether we belong to them or they belong to us."

Now does that sound like there was real rancor and hard feelings between them? No. Here's Hannah Irwin of Alabama. I like this one. "I suppose them Yankees was all right in their place, but they never belong in the South. Why, miss, one of them asked me, 'What was them blank flowers in the field?' You would think that a gentleman with all them decorations on himself would know a field of cotton." "And as for them a-setting me free? Miss, us niggers on the Bennett Place was free as soon as we was born. I always been free." Aunt Adeline of Fayetteville, Arkansas says, "After the war many soldiers, Yankees, came to my mistress, Mrs. Blakely, trying to make her free me. I told them I was free, but I did not want to go anywhere, that I wanted to stay in the only home I'd ever known."

"Sometimes I was threatened for not leaving, but I stayed on." And by the way, you will find that most slaves did stay on the plantations. Betty Kirtland from Hazen, Arkansas, says, "When Mars Daniel come home," I like this one, "When Mars Daniel come home, he went to my papa's house and says, 'John, you free.' He says, 'I've been free as I want to be where I is.' He went on to my grandpa's house and said, 'Toby, you're free.' He raised up and says, 'You brought me here from Africa and North Carolina, and I'm going to stay with you as long as I ever get something to eat.'"

Slaves' Refusal of Freedom and Post-War Loyalty

Weaver recounts stories of slaves who chose to stay with their masters after emancipation and a black legislator's speech supporting a Confederate monument.

"You got to look after me. Mars Daniel say, 'Well, I ain't running nobody off my place as long as they behave.' Pert near every nigger set tight till he died of the old sets. Mars Daniel said to my grandpa, 'Toby, you ain't my nigger.' Grandpa raised up and said, 'I is too.'" Now, here's the man coming along saying to his slaves, "You're free. You don't belong to me anymore." They say, "Yes, we do. And we're staying." Cora Gilliam of Little Rock, Arkansas: "I tell you, lady, if the rough element from the North had stayed out of the South, the trouble of reconstruction would not have happened. They tried to excite the colored against their white friends." Did you hear that? "They tried to excite the colored against their white friends. The white folks were still kind to them what had been their slaves."

"They would have helped them get started. I know that. I always say that if the South could have been left to adjust itself, both white and colored would have been better off." Now, you're talking about people who lived through it. Many slaves chose to suffer with their masters rather than take an oath of allegiance to the Union. For example, a slave named Robin was captured with his master during Morgan's raid in Ohio, and he was separated from his master in prison and was offered his liberty several times if he would simply take the oath of loyalty to the Union. He refused.

And here is what he said: "I will never disgrace my family by such an oath." And you got to remember, his family was his master's family. That's who he was talking about. A number of servants were captured at Vicksburg and were offered their freedom and federal protection, but they refused and chose to be sent to northern prisons to suffer with their fellow white soldiers. After a capture of a group of Virginia slave owners with their slaves, there was also a free black man among the slaves. And when the slaves were offered their freedom, if they would give the loyalty oath to the Union, they came to this free black man. And here's what he told him: "I can't take no such oath. I was a secession Negro." Lord, he believed in secession. He said, "I'm not going to take an oath of loyalty." And this one I like. You say, "Well, Brother Weaver, probably some of these people were just coerced." No, no. Point Lookout, there was a planter who was captured with his slave. And the planter got freedom for himself by taking the oath of loyalty to the Union. When they went to his slave and asked him to take the oath of loyalty to the Union, the slave refused. And then they said, "But your master has already taken the oath." And the slave replied with disgust, "Massa has no principles." Slave had better sense than the master did.

And I'll tell you something else. Many slaves thanked God for their slavery in this country. I want you to stop and think about this. What did they have in Africa? Hard slavery. Cannibalism. And it still exists over there. And they were brought to this country and down South, they at least had a Christian influence upon them. Martin Jackson of Texas puts it this way. He says, "I believe that slavery in this country, taking everything into consideration, was a godsend for the slaves. The 20 million Negroes are descended from 4 million sent over from Africa. If it had not been for the slave traffic, we would still be living in Africa."

"I would be a heathen and my children would be heathens." In other words, his idea was exactly what Joseph said to his brethren, "You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good." George Fleming of Lawrence, South Carolina, said this, quote, "I long to see Mars Sam Fleming. Lord, child, that's the best white man ever breathed the good air. I still goes to where he's buried every time I gets a chance to venture towards Lawrence. As old as I is, I still drop a tear when I sees his grave, for he sure was good to me and all his other." Clare Davis of Alabama said, "It was the good old days. How I long to be back with my old folks and play with the children down by the creek."

"Ain't nothing like it today, no sir. They tell me that when a person crosses that river, the Lord gives them whatever he wants. I done told the Lord I don't want nothing much. Only my home and my white folks. I don't think that's much to ask for. I suppose he'll send me back there. I've been waiting for him to call." Adaline Johnson of Winsborough, South Carolina says, "I hope and pray to get to heaven."

"I'll be satisfied to see my Savior, so that my old master worshiped and my husband preached about. I want to be in heaven with all my white folks, just to wait on them and love them and serve them, sort of like I did in slavery time. That would be heaven enough for old Adaline." Nicey Pugh says it like this, "I was born a slave, but I ain't never been one." "I've been a worker for good peoples. You wouldn't call that being a slave, would you, white folks?" Now, let me give you what I call one of the most heart-touching speeches I've ever heard. There was a representative from Mississippi, John F. Harrison. John F. Harrison was a Republican; he was from Washington County, Mississippi. And he was also a black man. In Mississippi there was a bill being presented before the state legislature and that bill was asking for money.

To build a Confederate memorial at Capitol Square in Jackson, Mississippi. Now there were a number of blacks at that time in the Mississippi legislature and Representative John Harrison was one. The bill passed 57 to 41 to erect that Confederate monument. And one of the reasons it passed was because of the speech that this black Southerner gave before the legislature. His speech was printed in its entirety in the *Daily Clarion-Ledger* in Jackson, Mississippi on February 23, 1890. And let me read you part of this. Listen to what he says. "Mr. Speaker, I have arisen here in my place to offer a few words on the bill. I have come from a sickbed. Perhaps it was not prudent for me to come, but, sir, I could not rest quietly in my room without contributing a few remarks of my own. I was sorry to hear the speech of the young gentleman from Marshall County. I'm sorry that any son of a soldier should go on record as opposed to the erection of a monument in honor of the brave dead. And, sir, I'm convinced that had he seen what I saw at Seven Pines and in the Seven Days' fighting around Richmond, the battlefield covered with the mangled forms of those who fought for their country and for their country's honor, he would not have made that speech."

"When the news came that the South had been invaded"—did you hear that? This is a black man speaking—"When the news came that the South had been invaded, those men went forth to fight for what they believed, and they made no requests for monuments. But they died, and their virtues should be remembered. Sir, I went with them. I, too, wore the gray, the same color my master wore." "We stayed four long years, and if that war had gone on till now, I would have been there yet. I want to honor those brave men who died for their convictions. When my mother died, I was a boy. Who, sir, then acted the part of a mother to the orphaned slave boy but my old missus? Were she living now, or could speak to me from those higher realms where all are gathered, the sainted dead, she would tell me to vote for this bill. And, sir, I shall vote for it. I want it known to all the world that my vote is given in favor of the bill to erect a monument in honor of the Confederate dead." End quote.

Did you hear what that black representative said? He said, "I, too, wore the gray. The same color my master wore. We stayed four long years. And if the war was still going on, I would be there yet." Thankfully, that Confederate memorial was erected. I don't know if you've ever thought about this or not. But the very fact that there were not any slave uprisings during the war

Application: Character Over Color

Weaver discusses the changing connotations of racial terms and argues that honor should be based on character and integrity, not skin color, urging a return to biblical standards.

demonstrates the relationship that the masters had with their slaves. As one author noted, a thousand torches in a thousand black hands would have been enough to empty the Confederate army. Why? Those men would have returned from those lines to protect their homes and their families. But there was none of that. In fact, you find just the opposite. If I had time today, I could keep going and keep going and give you illustration after illustration how the blacks fought alongside the whites in defending the South.

Now, I want to make an application today because I want to make all of this relevant, okay? I used a word in this sermon and in other lessons that is not politically correct today. But I use the word quoting those who said it themselves and that is the word "nigger." I did not use the word contemptuously. I was just giving the quote. You will find that words change. Connotations of words change. People change. The blacks used to refer to themselves as "niggers." Then they went to "colored people." Then they went to "persons of color," or to "black people," or to "African-Americans." So words are mutable. They change. Now, I do not know where the word "nigger" originally came from. The word "nigger" or "niggardly" was in the dictionary before a black man ever set foot around us, okay? If you will go to any dictionary, you can look up the word "niggardly" or "nigger," and it simply means to be selfish, to be, you know, not willing to share, in other words, to be miserly.

It's a word that is used. Now, when the word is applied to the blacks, I do not know if it is a slang from Nigeria or the Niger River. In fact, the word "Niger" or "nigger," depending on your pronunciation, is found even in the Book of Acts. Simon who was called Niger.

Now, the Spanish "negro" just means black. I'm not sure how to pronounce the French word "Negra," N-E-G-R-A. It means black as well. In fact, I have a black friend who was telling me that he went shopping a few weeks ago and he had a lot of fun because he went up to the white sales clerk and he said, "You know, I did not know that this store carried items made especially for people of my race." The woman said, "What are you talking about?" He said, "Well, look at these socks. And look at this sweatshirt and it had on there 'made for' and it had 'black.'" All right. No, no, no. "Black" had "Negro" on it. He said, "So this was made just for the Negroes. Is that right?" And the woman turned all kind of shades of red and she got embarrassed. And of course, he was smiling because he already knew. And she called another sales clerk over and the sales clerk, she got embarrassed. And then finally, they got a third one and they said, "Oh, the word 'Negro' is just Spanish for black. That just means that this is a black, you know, shirt. That's all it meant." Because of the Hispanics, they're writing it in English and in Spanish as well. And of course, he just laughed.

He had a big ball out of the whole thing. Now, the point is this. In the 1800s, the blacks referred to themselves as "niggers." It was not a slang term. It was not a term of contempt. It was a colloquialism. Whites referred to them as that. Even when I was a boy, which has not been that long ago, I've heard blacks call other blacks "niggers." I have heard that in recent years as well.

Now you say, "But Brother Weaver, does that mean you want to go around calling every black man a nigger?" No. I would suppose today it's kind of like a brother telling his sister that she's ugly. The brother might can do it, but nobody else better do it. You see what I'm saying?

Now, let me just try to explain something to you. I'm going to show you some scriptures. I'm going to tell you how I was raised. You may have been raised this way. You may not have been. I'm not saying that my raising is the standard. It is not. The Bible is the standard. Okay? But I believe that the way I was raised in this area is biblical. You say, "Well, how were you raised?" With the understanding that there are "niggers" and there are "black folks" just like there's "white trash" and "white folks."

The importance is not dependent upon the color but upon the character. Any black person can be a "nigger" or a "black man," just like any white person can be a "white man" or "white trash," or what you want to call it. "Honky," it doesn't matter. Now, I want to show you something. Look in your Bibles to the book of Proverbs chapter 26. Proverbs 26. Proverbs 26, look at verse 1.

Scripture says, "As snow in summer and as rain in harvest, so honor is not seemly for a fool." Now, honor is not seemly for a fool, but honor is seemly for a wise man. That's the opposite. What's a wise man? A wise man is one that knows the word of God and obeys the word of God. Let me put that in another way. A wise man is someone that has character and integrity and honor. So a black man, let's put it like this, can either be a fool or a "nigger" or a "black man" or an honorable man, just like a white man can either be a fool or "white trash" or a "white man," depending upon his character. Look in verse 8, he says, "As he that bindeth a stone in a sling, so is he that giveth honor to a fool." You don't give honor to someone who does not deserve honor. That's all there is to it. I don't care what color he is. Pink, purple, polka dot. You don't give honor to someone who does not deserve honor.

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 26:8

Look in Proverbs 29, verse 23. Proverbs 29, verse 23. "A man's pride shall bring him low, but honor shall uphold the humble in spirit." What is going to uphold us? Honor. Integrity. Character. Let me tell you something, folks. You may not ever think it has any influence on you, but I can tell you it has influence on me. Because sometimes when I'm tempted to do something, my first reaction is, "I've got better character than that. I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to stoop that low. I will not." Not only because of God's Word, but because of character and integrity. I'm just not going to do certain things. I'm not. Now, the Bible says in Romans 13, verse 7, that we're to give honor to whom honor is due.

Now, let me ask you a question. Is honor due to a sorry, lazy, indolent, worthless black man? No. Let me ask another way. Is honor due to a sorry, worthless, lazy, indolent white man? No. There was a black man that I worked with when I was in college. He was one of the hardest working men I've ever known. He was always on time. He was never late. He never messed around. When he was supposed to be working, he worked. He had four children. And that man put all four of his children through college without government aid.

Now, do I respect him? You better believe I do. He was a hard-working man. Now, the point I'm trying to make is this. I don't care what color you are. You can't demand honor. You have to earn honor. You have to have the character and the integrity that will enable people to honor you. I told this to a black man recently. And I still believe it's the truth. I'm ashamed to say it. But most black folks and most white folks under 40 today are not worth shooting.

What do I mean by that? They have no character. They have no convictions. They have no integrity. They won't work. They're worthless. And all they're looking for is a government handout. White, black, brown, all. The problem that we're facing with Y2K next year is going to be far different from the recession in '29 and '30. Let me tell you why. Because in '29 and '30 there was still some character and some honesty. Today there is none. So what does this mean? It means we must learn to recognize character and integrity in people.

Let me just show you. Let me give you an example. I was here in town getting gas in order to drive down to Florida to teach. Just as I got ready to go pay for the gas, I was walking to the door. And I was walking quickly because I was in a hurry. And coming from the opposite direction, or at an angle from me, was a black man who evidently was in a hurry as well. He's walking as fast as I was. And it looked exactly like we were going to hit that door at the same time. And I just, I saw him and I saw the expression on his face.

And I knew what he was thinking. And so I quick stepped. And I got to the door a step before he did. And I knew what he was thinking. I was going to step in and slam the door and let him open. But when I got there, I grabbed the door and I held it open. And I said, "Go right on in." I held the door open for him.

You should have seen the smile on his face. I mean, from ear to ear. And he reached up and he patted me on the shoulder. He said, "Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir." And he went right on in.

Now, the point that I'm making, I was in a hurry, but so was he. And all I was was just kind. And what did he do? "Thank you, sir." Instead of cussing me, he thanked me. So, the point I'm making is, folks, we need to go back to character and honor. You judge a man by what he's made of, how he lives, and what he does. And I don't care if you're white as the day is long. If you're sorry, you're sorry.

If you know good, you know good. And we need to develop biblical and godly character. Let's pray. Father, we ask for your blessing and help today. Speak to our hearts. Enable us to live for Thee and to honor Thee in all that we do, in Christ's name, amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Biblical Regulation of Slavery

Summary: Slavery is not inherently evil; God ordained and regulated it through Scripture, providing instructions for both masters and slaves.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'I pointed out how that slavery was God-ordained. It is not evil, nor wicked, nor wrong in and of itself. In fact, God lays down the regulations of the Bible for regulating not only the master, but the slave as well.'

Patriarchal and Affectionate Master-Slave Relations

Summary: The relationship between masters and slaves in the antebellum South was characterized by kindness, affection, and familial bonds, contrary to Northern propaganda.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Judge George L. Christian: 'The slaves... were regarded and treated as members of the families to which they severally belong... frequently the relations between the slave and his owner were those of real affection and confidence.'

Northern Hypocrisy and Greater Prejudice

Summary: Prejudice and mistreatment of blacks were worse in the North than in the South, as attested by European observers and official records.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Sir James S. Buckingham: 'the prejudice of color is not nearly so strong in the South as it is in the North... at the North, I do not remember to have witnessed this once.'

Abuse as Exception, Not the Rule

Summary: While some mistreatment occurred, it was rare and condemned by Southern society; the prevailing spirit was one of kindness.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Robert Lewis Dabney: 'there were in the South instances of criminal barbarity... they were relatively rare and infrequent and were strongly reprobated by public opinion.'

Black Loyalty to the South

Summary: Many blacks willingly served the Confederacy, refused Union offers of freedom, and expressed gratitude for their slavery, viewing it as a benefit.

Evidence: Weaver cites Dr. Lewis Steiner's observation of over 3,000 armed blacks in Stonewall Jackson's army and quotes a slave: 'I will never disgrace my family by such an oath.'

Character Over Color

Summary: Honor should be based on character and integrity, not race; both blacks and whites can be honorable or worthless based on their conduct.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'The importance is not dependent upon the color but upon the character. Any black person can be a "nigger" or a "black man," just like any white person can be a "white man" or "white trash."'

Key Arguments

Slavery is biblically sanctioned and regulated

Summary: The Bible provides rules for master-slave relationships, proving slavery is not inherently sinful.

Evidence: Weaver reads Ephesians 6:5-9 and states, 'God lays down the regulations of the Bible for regulating not only the master, but the slave as well.'

Southern slavery was patriarchal and benevolent

Summary: Historical testimony from a Confederate judge and European travelers confirms that slaves were treated as family with kindness.

Evidence: Judge Christian's 1907 speech: 'slavery as it existed in the South was patriarchal in its character... treated with kindness and consideration.'

Northern prejudice exceeded Southern prejudice

Summary: English observers noted that racial prejudice was stronger in the North, where social interaction between races was avoided.

Evidence: Buckingham's 1842 observation: 'the prejudice of color is not nearly so strong in the South as it is in the North.'

Abuse was rare and condemned

Summary: While exceptions existed, they were not the norm, and public opinion reprobated cruel masters.

Evidence: Dabney: 'they were relatively rare and infrequent and were strongly reprobated by public opinion.'

Most abuse came from the North

Summary: Official war records document Northern troops committing rapes and forced conscription of blacks.

Evidence: Hayward's letter: 'were committing rapes on the Negroes and such like things.'

Blacks willingly supported the Confederacy

Summary: Many blacks served in the Confederate army and refused Union offers of freedom, showing loyalty to the South.

Evidence: Steiner's report: 'Over 3,000 Negroes must be included in this number of Confederate troops... Most of the Negroes had arms.'

Slave narratives confirm good treatment

Summary: First-hand accounts from former slaves overwhelmingly describe their masters as kind and good.

Evidence: Weaver cites that 86% of slave narratives refer to their master as good or kind, and quotes Issa Morgan: 'Massa never whipped none of his slaves.'

Honor must be earned by character, not color

Summary: Biblical honor is due to those with integrity, regardless of race; both races have individuals of good and bad character.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'You can't demand honor. You have to earn honor. You have to have the character and the integrity that will enable people to honor you.'

Scripture References

Ephesians 6:5-9

Context: Weaver reads the passage to show biblical regulations for slaves and masters, emphasizing that slavery is God-ordained and not inherently evil.

Colossians 4:1

Context: Weaver cites this verse to warn masters to treat slaves justly and equally, knowing they have a Master in heaven.

Proverbs 26:1

Context: Weaver uses this verse to argue that honor is not fitting for a fool, implying that character, not color, determines worthiness of honor.

Proverbs 26:8

Context: Weaver quotes this to reinforce that giving honor to a fool is as useless as binding a stone in a sling.

Proverbs 29:23

Context: Weaver cites this to show that honor upholds the humble in spirit, linking honor to character.

Romans 13:7

Context: Weaver references this verse to support the principle of giving honor to whom honor is due.

Acts 13:1 (implied Simon called Niger)

Context: Weaver mentions that the word 'Niger' appears in Acts, referring to Simon called Niger, to discuss the etymology of racial terms.

Historical References

Judge George L. Christian, 1907 Confederate Veterans Reunion

Context: Weaver quotes Judge Christian's speech describing Southern slavery as patriarchal and affectionate, delivered at a reunion where living veterans could verify its truth.

Sir Charles Lyell, Travels in North America (1841-1842)

Context: Weaver cites Lyell's observation that slaves were better fed than European laborers and that affection existed between masters and slaves.

Sir James S. Buckingham, 1842

Context: Weaver quotes Buckingham's statement that color prejudice was stronger in the North than in the South.

Robert Lewis Dabney, Presbyterian theologian and Stonewall Jackson's aide-de-camp

Context: Weaver quotes Dabney's admission that abuse was rare and condemned by public opinion.

Dr. William S. White, Presbyterian pastor and Stonewall Jackson's pastor

Context: Weaver quotes White comparing rare slave abuse to rare domestic abuse, arguing it does not condemn the institution.

Fogel and Engerman, Time on the Cross

Context: Weaver mentions this academic study of plantation records that contradicts abolitionist claims and shows slaves were well-treated.

Official Records of the War of the Rebellion

Context: Weaver cites letters and dispatches documenting Northern troops' rapes, plunder, and forced conscription of blacks.

WPA Slave Narratives (1930s)

Context: Weaver quotes multiple former slaves who spoke positively of their masters and expressed loyalty to the South.

John F. Harrison, black Mississippi legislator, 1890

Context: Weaver reads Harrison's speech supporting a Confederate monument, in which he states he wore the gray and would fight again.

Important Quotes

In the first place, slavery as it existed in the South was patriarchal in its character.

Significance: Establishes the core claim that Southern slavery was familial and benevolent, not oppressive.

This is only one among the many proofs I had witnessed of the fact that the prejudice of color is not nearly so strong in the South as it is in the North.

Significance: Supports the argument that racial prejudice was worse in the North, contrary to common belief.

Now while we freely admit that there were in the South instances of criminal barbarity and corporal punishments, they were relatively rare and infrequent and were strongly reprobated by public opinion.

Significance: Acknowledges abuse but frames it as exceptional and socially condemned.

I will never disgrace my family by such an oath.

Significance: Illustrates the deep loyalty of some slaves to their masters' families, refusing freedom to maintain honor.

The importance is not dependent upon the color but upon the character.

Significance: Summarizes the application that honor should be based on integrity, not race.

Discussion Questions

How does the biblical regulation of slavery in Ephesians 6 challenge modern assumptions about the institution?

Context: Weaver argues that slavery is not inherently evil because God provided rules for it.

What evidence does Weaver present to support the claim that Southern slavery was patriarchal and affectionate?

Context: Weaver quotes Judge Christian and European observers to describe the familial nature of master-slave relations.

Why does Weaver emphasize that abuse was the exception and not the rule, and how does he reconcile this with biblical commands?

Context: Weaver cites Dabney and White to argue that rare abuse does not condemn the entire institution.

How do the official war records and slave narratives shape our understanding of race relations during the Civil War?

Context: Weaver uses these sources to claim that Northern troops committed most abuses and that slaves were loyal to the South.

What does the loyalty of blacks to the Confederacy reveal about their perceived self-interest and relationships with whites?

Context: Weaver provides examples of blacks fighting for the South and refusing Union offers of freedom.

How should Christians apply the biblical principle of giving honor to whom honor is due in a racially diverse society?

Context: Weaver argues that honor must be earned by character, not demanded by race, citing Proverbs and Romans.

Applications

Treat employees with justice and equity

Summary: Just as masters were commanded to treat slaves justly, modern employers must treat workers fairly, knowing they have a Master in heaven.

Evidence: Weaver applies Colossians 4:1 to employer-employee relationships: 'we still have to treat those who work for us and under us with justice and equity.'

Judge people by character, not color

Summary: Honor should be based on a person's integrity and conduct, not their race; both blacks and whites can be honorable or worthless.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'The importance is not dependent upon the color but upon the character.'

Develop biblical character and integrity

Summary: Believers should cultivate honor and integrity so that they are not tempted to stoop to sinful behavior.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'sometimes when I'm tempted to do something, my first reaction is, "I've got better character than that."'

Show kindness across racial lines

Summary: Simple acts of courtesy, like holding a door, can break down barriers and demonstrate Christian love.

Evidence: Weaver recounts holding a door for a black man and receiving a grateful response: 'Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T23:19:10Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T14:22:24Z

Clean Transcript

Where We Are & How We Got Here # 8 of 14

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

All right, let's begin today. I've been dealing with where we are and how we got here. And I started in the 1840s and 60s and been dealing with what is known as the War of Northern Aggression. So in the last five or six or four parts, anyhow, I've been dealing with Southern slavery and before that, the biblical view of slavery. So let's look in Ephesians chapter six. Ephesians 6, beginning there with verse 5. Ephesians 6, verse 5. Ephesians 6, verse 5.
#1 | 0:01 to 0:45 | cleaned
God says, "Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling and singleness of your heart as unto Christ." Now let me remind you that the word "servants" there is the Greek word *doulos*, which literally means slaves. "Slaves" or "servants," be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh with fear and trembling and singleness of your heart as unto Christ. "Not with eye service as men pleasers, but as the servants of Christ doing the will of God from the heart. With goodwill doing service as to the Lord and not to men. Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. And ye masters," that is, those who are over the slaves, "ye masters do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening, knowing that your master also is in heaven, neither is there respect of persons with him."
#2 | 0:45 to 1:42 | cleaned
Now, I'm not going to take the time today to review as I normally do, but may I point out the fact that we went over two Sundays dealing with the biblical view of slavery. I pointed out how that slavery was God-ordained. It is not evil, nor wicked, nor wrong in and of itself. In fact, God lays down the regulations of the Bible for regulating not only the master, but the slave as well. So there is to be a relationship between slave and master, or slaves and masters, that is regulated by the word of God.
#3 | 1:43 to 2:22 | cleaned
Now, as we've been talking about Southern slavery, particularly, I want to deal today with what I'm just simply calling race relations. It may surprise many to discover that the relation that existed between masters and slaves in the old South was one of affection, kindness and understanding.
#4 | 2:22 to 2:44 | cleaned
Now, it is true there was great emotional, cultural, and racial differences between blacks and whites, even back then. But still, in the antebellum South, that relation was still one of kindness and graciousness and affection. In fact, there was never the hatred and the bigotry and the abuse and the misuse in the South that is so commonly reported by the North, especially by the propaganda of the abolitionists there. In fact, it is interesting to discover that any abuse, or I would say this, the majority of the abuse and misuse of the blacks was not in the South, but it was in the North. And it was also done in the South by the North on the part of the North when they did indeed come into the country. Judge George L. Christian made this statement. I'm going to read you the statement. And I'm going to tell you where and when the statement was made. Listen carefully. This is a judge speaking. Judge George L. Christian said, quote, "In the first place, slavery as it existed in the South was patriarchal in its character."
#5 | 2:45 to 4:04 | cleaned
"The slaves," and then he puts in parentheses, "Servants, as we call them, the slaves, servants, as we call them, were regarded and treated as members of the families to which they severally belong. With rare exceptions, they were treated with kindness and consideration. And frequently the relations between the slave and his owner were those of real affection and confidence." So here is a judge who is saying that the slavery that existed in the antebellum South was patriarchal in nature. In fact, the slave counted himself as part of that family. In fact, slaves usually identified themselves when asked who they were.
#6 | 4:05 to 4:50 | cleaned
They would say, "Well, I'm one of Colonel Carey's people," or "I'm one of Brother Thomason's people." In other words, they referred to themselves as the people of that particular family. In fact, I pointed out in the book that I have, which is a copy of the slave narratives of Georgia, how every one of those slaves took the name of the owner of the plantation on which they lived. So if you hear about a Coffee, then the plantation owner's last name was Coffee, and so on down the line.
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Now, Judge Christian himself was a Confederate veteran. And Judge Christian made this statement and delivered these remarks to the reunion of the Confederate veterans held in Richmond, Virginia in 1907.
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Now the point that I'm trying to make is this. In 1907 when he was saying that slavery in the South was patriarchal in nature, and he was delivering these remarks to the Union of Confederate Veterans, here were men who were alive that knew and understood. And Judge Christian could not have made any false statements without someone being there who knew the truth to challenge him. You see what I'm saying?
#9 | 5:53 to 6:22 | cleaned
So the statement had to be true. Because there were too many people alive at that particular time that could have corrected it. So he is saying then that the relationship that existed between the blacks and the whites at that particular time was one of benevolence and kindness. And of course, I'm going to point out the fact that all of the honest Europeans and the honest northerners concurred in this fact.
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For instance, in the 1840s, there was an Englishman, Sir Charles Lyell, who traveled throughout the South, and he put all of his observations in a book, and his book is entitled *Travels in North America in the Years 1841-1842*. And Lyell, in his book, mentioned the remarkable affection that existed between black and white, and between master and slave. And then he made this statement, that the slaves were, quote, "better fed than the large part of the laboring class of Europe," end quote. So here's an Englishman saying that the slaves in the South were better treated and better fed than a large part of the laboring class in Europe.
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Now Lyell did not report that there were beatings and whips and misconduct and abuse. He may not have agreed with the institution of slavery. But he did have to admit the fact that the slaves were treated well and they were fed well also. Even the northern abolitionist, Frederick Law Olmsted, who was honest, had to concur that in the South the blacks were treated decently and rightly. There was another Englishman, Sir James S. Buckingham, who in 1842 wrote, and listen to what he says, quote, "This is only one among the many proofs I had witnessed of the fact that the prejudice of color is not nearly so strong in the South as it is in the North."
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Now, let me just stop there. He's going on. He's going to make a statement. But he's saying that the prejudice and the bigotry was worse in the North than it was in the South. So he says, "This is only one among the many proofs I had witnessed of the fact that the prejudice of color is not nearly so strong in the South as in the North." Now, listen. "In the South, it is not at all uncommon to see the black slaves of both sexes shake hands with white people when they meet and interchange friendly personal inquiries. But at the North, I do not remember to have witnessed this once. And neither in Boston, New York, or Philadelphia would white persons generally like to be seen shaking hands and talking familiarly with blacks in the streets." So here is another Englishman saying that the prejudice was on the part of the North.
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Now, I want you to understand here is a general truth. And that general truth is that the black slaves in the South were treated with kindness and affection, and it was indeed a fact that they were well taken care of.
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Now, that does not mean that there were no exceptions. You see, Southern slavery was a combination of biblical or Christian slavery and pagan slavery. Because very clearly, not everyone who owned slaves in the South was a Christian. And it should be very obvious that every Christian who owned slaves probably was not as biblical as he could have been or should have been at all times. So there had to be some exceptions.
#15 | 9:50 to 10:25 | cleaned
Now, there was indeed and undoubtedly some mistreatment. But let me point out the fact that this mistreatment was the exception and not the rule. Robert Lewis Dabney, who was a Presbyterian theologian—he's written, I don't know, seven or eight books; I have about all the books that he's ever written—he was also aide-de-camp to Stonewall Jackson. Robert Lewis Dabney said this, and I quote, "Now while we freely admit that there were in the South instances of criminal barbarity and corporal punishments, they were relatively rare and infrequent and were strongly reprobated by public opinion." In other words, Dabney is saying, yes, there were some who were cruel to their slaves, but they were rare, they were the exceptions, and the public opinion reprobated masters who treated their slaves thusly. Dr. William S. White, who was himself a Presbyterian pastor, and I might add, he was for a while Stonewall Jackson's pastor, he said this, listen, quote, "In all lands there are husbands and fathers who maltreat their wives and children. So there are masters among us who maltreat their slaves."
#16 | 10:25 to 11:42 | cleaned
"But the prevailing spirit is one of great kindness, showing itself in innumerable ways. Their mutual dependence begets mutual affection and attachment. I could fill volumes with incidents occurring under my own eyes, illustrating this statement. But I write for my own people, especially my own children, and not for the abolitionists."
#17 | 11:43 to 12:06 | cleaned
Now, listen to what he said. He says there are fathers who mistreat their children. There are husbands who mistreat their wives.
#18 | 12:06 to 12:15 | cleaned
Now, just because one father mistreats his child does not mean that every father is therefore wicked and vile and evil. Just because one husband beats his wife does not mean that every other husband is a wife-beater. And likewise, just because there is an occasional barbarous act by an unconverted individual, does not mean, therefore, that all slavery is inherently wrong and that everyone who owns slaves maltreated or mistreated their slaves.
#19 | 12:15 to 12:47 | cleaned
Now, it is true that you and I cannot today, nor if we were alive back in the 1840s, 50s or 60s, nor could we then excuse any abuse at all. You see, any and all abuse must be condemned as unbiblical and un-Christian, unethical and immoral. A master could go only as far as the Word of God allowed him to go, and no further. To go any further would be unbiblical. Look back in your Bibles to Ephesians 6 and verse 9. Look at God's warning.
#20 | 12:48 to 13:21 | cleaned
He says, "And you masters, do the same things unto them," that is, toward the slaves, "forbearing threatening." Why should a master forbear threatening? "Knowing that your master also is in heaven, neither is there any respect of persons with him." So what is God saying? If a master maltreats his slave, he better look heavenward, because he has a master who can exact the same maltreatment from him. Turn over in your Bibles to the book of Colossians, chapter 4, verse 1. Colossians 4 verse 1. "Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal, knowing that you also have a master in heaven." So what is God saying? The master better treat his servants, he better treat his slaves with justice and equality. Now let me just make an application. You said, "Brother Weaver, what relevance does that verse have today? Because we don't have slaves or servants today." Well, yes we do, and I pointed out the fact that we're all slaves in one sense of the word, and we're all servants in one sense of the word.
#21 | 13:22 to 14:36 | cleaned
But you can translate that to employers and employees. In other words, we still have to treat those who work for us and under us with justice and equity. Were there abuses in that peculiar institution as slavery is sometimes called? And the answer is yes. Does that mean that slavery as an institution was wicked and vile in and of itself? And the answer is no. Does that mean that every slave owner was a wicked, vile, barbarous individual? And the answer is no. Just like I could take you throughout our land today and show you that there are families that are wicked in and of themselves. I mean, there's a wicked father and a wicked mother and wicked children, but does that mean that all families are therefore wicked? No. I can show you churches that are what you and I would call bad churches.
#22 | 14:36 to 15:30 | cleaned
They don't preach the gospel. They don't preach the truth. Does that therefore mean every church is bad? No. Let me use an expression that you're familiar with. You don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Just because the bathwater is dirty, you don't throw the baby out with it, you change the bathwater. So slavery in and of itself was not wicked and not wrong, even though there were some abuses in it.
#23 | 15:30 to 15:57 | cleaned
Now, Professors Robert William Fogel, who by the way later taught at Harvard University, and Stanley L. Engerman, have done a study of plantation records. They've written a book and the book is entitled *Time on the Cross*.
#24 | 15:57 to 16:18 | cleaned
Now the amazing thing about this book is that it has shaken modern day academia. Why? Because the records prove exactly the opposite of what the abolitionists said and what the politically correct theory is. The records prove that slaves were treated kindly and affectionately and protected and were well taken care of.
#25 | 16:18 to 16:49 | cleaned
Now, let's ask another question. From what direction did most abuse of the blacks come from? I'm going to answer it for you and I'm going to talk to you a minute. The answer is it came from the North.
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Now I told you, I hope I did, of my excitement in our little local library back home. Because I was in the library one day, in fact I went in there to use their computer, since it was hooked up to the internet, and someone was using it and I had to wait, and I got to looking around and I found this book on the slave narratives of Georgia, and I ordered a copy of it, and I shared the book with you and told you about it.
#27 | 17:10 to 17:40 | cleaned
But while I was waiting, I saw this huge line of big black volumes, and all it had on it was "War of the Rebellion," you know, on each volume. And I thought, "Oh, some Yankee's written that," and, you know, it's probably deprecating the South and all of this. But I pulled one out and I looked at it and lo and behold I was so shocked because volume after volume after volume is the official records of both North and South of that entire war.
#28 | 17:41 to 18:22 | cleaned
I read for myself the dispatch that Beauregard sent to Anderson. I read for myself many of the dispatches, and I'm still reading in those records. So what I'm about to give you is not out of some ordinary book written by a northerner or a southerner, but what I'm about to read to you came from the official records. In a letter from J.T.K. Hayward to J.W., who subsequently forwarded to the United States Secretary of War, Simon Cameron, Hayward, in his letter, described how the northern troops, and here I'm quoting, "were committing rapes on the Negroes and such like things." He continues, "These things are not exaggerated by me and no punishment, or none of any account, has been meted out to them." Now listen to this.
#29 | 18:23 to 19:26 | cleaned
In Alabama, Yankee Colonel John B. Turchin allowed his men to do whatever they wanted to do in Athens, Alabama. And the official record shows he allowed his men to, quote, "plunder and pillage the inhabitants. They attempted an indecent outrage on her, the mistress of the plantation, and a servant girl. A part of this brigade went to the plantation and stayed in the Negro huts for weeks, debauching the females. Several soldiers committed rape on the person of a colored girl." And Colonel Turchin's actions were so appalling that he was court-martialed and convicted of the crimes on July 7, 1862.
#30 | 19:27 to 20:14 | cleaned
You say, "Well, he should have been." He was. And to show you the lack of character of Abraham Lincoln, one month later, Abraham Lincoln installed Colonel Turchin as a Brigadier General of the United States Volunteer Troops. And Turchin served until October 4, 1864. So it didn't matter that he and his men were raping and pillaging and plundering. Lincoln then took him a month later and made him a Brigadier General. Even after the fall of Richmond, General Grant was notified that "a number of cases of atrocious rapes by these men," that is the Yankees, "have already occurred."
#31 | 20:17 to 21:10 | cleaned
"Their influence on the colored population is reported to be bad." Throughout the official records, you will find that most black folks in the South ran from their Yankee liberators. Not only did they commit heinous acts against the black women, but also against the black men as well. For instance, anytime you get around today, you will always find people talking about the black Union soldiers. And they never talk about the blacks that served in the Confederate forces. But have you ever wondered how many of those blacks got into the Union forces?
#32 | 21:11 to 21:54 | cleaned
Let me tell you how. In a letter from General John A. Logan to General Grant, Logan states, quote, "A major of colored troops is here with his party capturing Negroes with or without their consent. They are being conscripted." In May of 1862, Secretary of the Treasury Salmon Chase received the following message, quote, "The Negroes were sad. Sometimes whole plantations, learning what was going on, ran off into the woods for refuge."
#33 | 21:54 to 22:29 | cleaned
"The mode of enlistment was by violent seizure." The next day, on the same plantation, the following was reported, quote, "On some plantations, the wailing and screaming were loud and the black women threw themselves in despair on the ground. On some plantations, the people took the woods and were hunted up by the soldiers." He goes on to say, "I doubt if the recruiting service in this country has ever been attended with such scenes before," end quote. So what was happening? The North was coming down and forcibly taking black men from their families, from their homes, and forcing them to serve. From Nashville, Union General Rousseau wrote to General George Thomas the following, quote, "Officers in command of colored troops are in constant habit of pressing all able-bodied slaves into the military service of the United States." And even after some of the blacks had been impressed into military service and forced to serve, they were treated worse than they had been on the plantations. For instance, here was Sam Marshall, who was a black soldier who had been impressed by the Yankees, and he tried to go back and visit his family.
#34 | 22:29 to 23:55 | cleaned
Here's the account of what happened to him. Quote, "About a dozen of the soldiers did escort him." That is, they went and got him. "They tied him to a tree and stripped him to the waist, lacerated his back with a cow skin, the marks of which Sam will carry to his grave." So they literally beat him. In Virginia, General Ennis N. Palmer wrote to General Butler. These are Yankees writing each other in '64. And here's what he said, quote, "The Negroes will not go voluntarily, so I'm obliged to force them."
#35 | 23:55 to 24:29 | cleaned
"The matter of collecting the colored men for laborers has been one of some difficulty. They must be forced to go. This may be considered a harsh measure, but we must not stop at trifles." What's he saying? We have to beat them. We have to make them go.
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Now, let me give you just a little contrast. This was written in 1862 by Dr. Lewis Steiner. He was a chief inspector of the United States Army Sanitary Commission and he was an eyewitness to the occupation of Frederick, Maryland by General Stonewall Jackson and his troops. And here's what Dr. Steiner says, quote, "Over 3,000 Negroes must be included in this number of Confederate troops." Wait a minute. I'm going on, but now in Stonewall's occupying force in Frederick, Maryland, there were over 3,000 blacks. He says, "Over 3,000 Negroes must be included in this number of Confederate troops. These were clad in all kinds of uniforms, not only in cast-off or captured United States uniforms, but in coats with southern buttons, state buttons, etc."
#37 | 24:49 to 25:49 | cleaned
"These were shabby, but not shabbier or seedier than those worn by white men in the rebel ranks. Most of the Negroes had arms, rifles, muskets, sabers, bowie knives, dirks, and were manifestly an integral portion of the Southern Confederacy Army."
#38 | 25:49 to 26:09 | cleaned
Now, was it just the nasty, mean old Southerners making these blacks serve in the Southern forces? Hardly. Not with them armed, riding amongst them. What were those blacks doing? They were helping to defend the South from the invasion of the North. They had as much to lose as anyone else.
#39 | 26:12 to 26:36 | cleaned
Now, I could today multiply examples. I've done so much reading and I've enjoyed the reading, but I have to pick and choose. But I want to give you one more example, and this one is a humorous one to me. You see, Captain Arthur L. Fremantle was a British observer who was attached to General Lee's army. And in 1863, Captain Fremantle went with General Lee on the Gettysburg Campaign.
#40 | 26:36 to 27:05 | cleaned
And he reported that during this time, he observed many instances of black loyalty to the Southern cause. And he recorded this one, for which I am extremely thankful. He says, quote, "This little episode of a Southern slave leading a white Yankee soldier through a northern village alone and of his own accord would not have been gratifying to an abolitionist, nor would the sympathizers both in England and the North feel encouraged if they could hear the language of detestation and contempt with which the numerous Negroes with Southern armies speak of their liberators," end quote.
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What is so humorous about that? Here's a black slave alone taking a white Yankee prisoner through northern towns on his own accord. And the Englishman goes on to say, if the Yankees could only hear the contemptuous speech that the blacks have of their liberators, they would really be incensed.
#42 | 27:48 to 28:14 | cleaned
Now, the truth is, that race relations in the South were far better than they've ever been in the North. Let me tell you, as tense as race relations today are in the South, they're still better than they are in the North. It's even worse in the North.
#43 | 28:15 to 28:40 | cleaned
Now, I'm going to prove this to you. In the 1930s, under Roosevelt's reign, in the 1930s, his WPA, Work Projects Administration, hired numerous journalists to go around and interview ex-slaves who naturally were still living. So the information that I'm about to share with you comes from first-hand information. These people were slaves. They lived through it. The testimony was collected from over 2,300 slaves. Steve Wilkins, who is a pastor out in Louisiana, who's written a book entitled *Southern Slavery as It Was*, from which I'm thankful for this tidbit that I'm about to give you.
#44 | 28:41 to 29:39 | cleaned
He has done extensive research on the slave narratives. And he has found out of all the references of these slave narratives, when the slaves speak of their master, 86% of them refer to their master as either good or kind. 86% refer to their master as either good or kind.
#45 | 29:40 to 30:05 | cleaned
Let me give you some of these testimonies, and I'm going to be selective, but to me these were so refreshing. The first one is from Issa Morgan of Mobile, Alabama, and I'm going to use the language they used. Here's what Issa Morgan said, quote, "Any time a slave worked overtime or cut more wood than he's supposed to, Massa pay him money for it, 'cause whenever one of us slaves see something we lack, something we like, we did just like the white folks does now. Us bought it. Massa never whipped none of his slaves. No, none of our slaves ever tried to run away."
#46 | 30:15 to 30:55 | cleaned
"They all know they was well off. The Yankees offered me a horse if I would go north with them. But I just couldn't leave the Massa even though I did want that horse mighty bad." Here's what Simon Phillips from Alabama said. Listen carefully. "People have the wrong idea of slave days. We was treated good. My master never laid a hand on me the whole time I was with him. Sometimes we loaned the master money when he was hard pushed." Did you hear that?
#47 | 30:55 to 31:28 | cleaned
Now, what's this about the slaves not ever having any money? There was another incident that I read about a woman, a black woman who was robbed. And she was robbed of three hundred dollars. And that was a lot of money back then. And so they caught the man who had robbed her and the court asked, "Well, was it possible that the slave woman had this kind of money?"
#48 | 31:30 to 32:00 | cleaned
And her master got on the stand and testified, he said, "Yes. I know she had the money because I frequently had to borrow from her." So the slaves, you see, were on the task system and whenever they finished their task, they could do more work, or tend their own gardens and sell what they had and get money for themselves. So Simon Phillips said, "When Master was hard pushed, we loaned him some of our money."
#49 | 32:02 to 32:32 | cleaned
Here's Mary Rice of Alabama. She said, "Master Cullen and Mrs. Mary Jane was the best master and missus in the whole world. Once when I was awful sick, Mrs. Mary Jane had me brung to the big house and put me in a room that sat on the other side of the kitchen so she could take care of me herself, 'cause it was a right far piece to the quarter, and I had to be nursed day and night."
#50 | 32:32 to 32:52 | cleaned
"I was happy all the time in slavery days, but there ain't much to get happy over now." Now what did this white woman do when her black slave got sick? She brought her up to the house and took care of her herself. In fact, you will find that was the standard procedure when one of the blacks really got sick. Doctors did not live just right down the street. And so the master or the master's wife took care of him.
#51 | 32:52 to 33:25 | cleaned
Here is a Mr. Davis from Marvel, Arkansas. He said, quote, "The first of every week he, the master, give each and every single man a family or task for to do that week. And after that task is done, then they is through work for that week and can then tend to patches, that is the gardens, what he would give them to raise what they want to own. What the slaves raised on these patches that he did give them would be theirs. Whatsoever it would be, cotton or taters or what it would be, they own and they could sell it and have the money for themselves to buy what they want." So here's a slave saying, "Hey, we had money of our own." Here's Elijah Henry Hopkins of Little Rock, Arkansas.
#52 | 33:25 to 34:07 | cleaned
He says, quote, "I was fed just like I was one of the master's children. They even put me to bed with them. You see, this discrimination of color wasn't as bad then as it is now. Now, listen, they handled you as a slave, but they didn't discriminate against you on account of color like they do now. In slavery times, a poor white man was worse off than a nigger," end quote. And one of the articles I read in the South Georgia or in the Georgia slave narratives, here's one black slave lamenting the fact of the white family that lived down the road from them, how bad off that white family was, and how much better they had it as slaves. Here's what Sarah and Tom Douglas of Alabama says, quote, "Slavery times was sure good times. We was fed and clothed and had nothing to worry about." Jane Georgiana of Alabama said, quote, "Old Master dead and gone, and Old Mistress too. But I remember it was just like they was, and when they looked after us, which we belonged to them or they belonged to us, I don't know which it was."
#53 | 34:08 to 35:23 | cleaned
"The times was better for the war. I goes to church and sings and prays, and when the good Lord takes me, I is ready to go. I expects to see Jesus and Old Mistress and Old Master when I gets to the heavenly land."
#54 | 35:26 to 35:38 | cleaned
Now listen to what she said. "I don't know whether we belong to them or they belong to us."
#55 | 35:39 to 35:43 | cleaned
Now does that sound like there was real rancor and hard feelings between them? No. Here's Hannah Irwin of Alabama. I like this one. "I suppose them Yankees was all right in their place, but they never belong in the South. Why, miss, one of them asked me, 'What was them blank flowers in the field?' You would think that a gentleman with all them decorations on himself would know a field of cotton."
#56 | 35:46 to 36:13 | cleaned
"And as for them a-setting me free? Miss, us niggers on the Bennett Place was free as soon as we was born. I always been free." Aunt Adeline of Fayetteville, Arkansas says, "After the war many soldiers, Yankees, came to my mistress, Mrs. Blakely, trying to make her free me. I told them I was free, but I did not want to go anywhere, that I wanted to stay in the only home I'd ever known."
#57 | 36:14 to 36:39 | cleaned
"Sometimes I was threatened for not leaving, but I stayed on." And by the way, you will find that most slaves did stay on the plantations. Betty Kirtland from Hazen, Arkansas, says, "When Mars Daniel come home," I like this one, "When Mars Daniel come home, he went to my papa's house and says, 'John, you free.' He says, 'I've been free as I want to be where I is.' He went on to my grandpa's house and said, 'Toby, you're free.' He raised up and says, 'You brought me here from Africa and North Carolina, and I'm going to stay with you as long as I ever get something to eat.'"
#58 | 36:39 to 37:17 | cleaned
"You got to look after me. Mars Daniel say, 'Well, I ain't running nobody off my place as long as they behave.' Pert near every nigger set tight till he died of the old sets. Mars Daniel said to my grandpa, 'Toby, you ain't my nigger.' Grandpa raised up and said, 'I is too.'"
#59 | 37:19 to 37:34 | cleaned
Now, here's the man coming along saying to his slaves, "You're free. You don't belong to me anymore." They say, "Yes, we do. And we're staying." Cora Gilliam of Little Rock, Arkansas: "I tell you, lady, if the rough element from the North had stayed out of the South, the trouble of reconstruction would not have happened. They tried to excite the colored against their white friends." Did you hear that? "They tried to excite the colored against their white friends. The white folks were still kind to them what had been their slaves."
#60 | 37:37 to 38:15 | cleaned
"They would have helped them get started. I know that. I always say that if the South could have been left to adjust itself, both white and colored would have been better off."
#61 | 38:16 to 38:25 | cleaned
Now, you're talking about people who lived through it. Many slaves chose to suffer with their masters rather than take an oath of allegiance to the Union. For example, a slave named Robin was captured with his master during Morgan's raid in Ohio, and he was separated from his master in prison and was offered his liberty several times if he would simply take the oath of loyalty to the Union. He refused.
#62 | 38:28 to 39:01 | cleaned
And here is what he said: "I will never disgrace my family by such an oath." And you got to remember, his family was his master's family. That's who he was talking about. A number of servants were captured at Vicksburg and were offered their freedom and federal protection, but they refused and chose to be sent to northern prisons to suffer with their fellow white soldiers. After a capture of a group of Virginia slave owners with their slaves, there was also a free black man among the slaves. And when the slaves were offered their freedom, if they would give the loyalty oath to the Union, they came to this free black man.
#63 | 39:01 to 39:57 | cleaned
And here's what he told him: "I can't take no such oath. I was a secession Negro." Lord, he believed in secession. He said, "I'm not going to take an oath of loyalty." And this one I like. You say, "Well, Brother Weaver, probably some of these people were just coerced." No, no. Point Lookout, there was a planter who was captured with his slave. And the planter got freedom for himself by taking the oath of loyalty to the Union. When they went to his slave and asked him to take the oath of loyalty to the Union, the slave refused. And then they said, "But your master has already taken the oath." And the slave replied with disgust, "Massa has no principles." Slave had better sense than the master did.
#64 | 39:57 to 41:02 | cleaned
And I'll tell you something else. Many slaves thanked God for their slavery in this country. I want you to stop and think about this. What did they have in Africa? Hard slavery. Cannibalism. And it still exists over there. And they were brought to this country and down South, they at least had a Christian influence upon them. Martin Jackson of Texas puts it this way. He says, "I believe that slavery in this country, taking everything into consideration, was a godsend for the slaves. The 20 million Negroes are descended from 4 million sent over from Africa. If it had not been for the slave traffic, we would still be living in Africa."
#65 | 41:02 to 42:03 | cleaned
"I would be a heathen and my children would be heathens." In other words, his idea was exactly what Joseph said to his brethren, "You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good." George Fleming of Lawrence, South Carolina, said this, quote, "I long to see Mars Sam Fleming. Lord, child, that's the best white man ever breathed the good air. I still goes to where he's buried every time I gets a chance to venture towards Lawrence. As old as I is, I still drop a tear when I sees his grave, for he sure was good to me and all his other." Clare Davis of Alabama said, "It was the good old days. How I long to be back with my old folks and play with the children down by the creek."
#66 | 42:03 to 42:46 | cleaned
"Ain't nothing like it today, no sir. They tell me that when a person crosses that river, the Lord gives them whatever he wants. I done told the Lord I don't want nothing much. Only my home and my white folks. I don't think that's much to ask for. I suppose he'll send me back there. I've been waiting for him to call." Adaline Johnson of Winsborough, South Carolina says, "I hope and pray to get to heaven."
#67 | 42:47 to 43:13 | cleaned
"I'll be satisfied to see my Savior, so that my old master worshiped and my husband preached about. I want to be in heaven with all my white folks, just to wait on them and love them and serve them, sort of like I did in slavery time. That would be heaven enough for old Adaline." Nicey Pugh says it like this, "I was born a slave, but I ain't never been one."
#68 | 43:13 to 43:35 | cleaned
"I've been a worker for good peoples. You wouldn't call that being a slave, would you, white folks?" Now, let me give you what I call one of the most heart-touching speeches I've ever heard. There was a representative from Mississippi, John F. Harrison. John F. Harrison was a Republican; he was from Washington County, Mississippi. And he was also a black man. In Mississippi there was a bill being presented before the state legislature and that bill was asking for money.
#69 | 43:36 to 44:30 | cleaned
To build a Confederate memorial at Capitol Square in Jackson, Mississippi.
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Now there were a number of blacks at that time in the Mississippi legislature and Representative John Harrison was one. The bill passed 57 to 41 to erect that Confederate monument. And one of the reasons it passed was because of the speech that this black Southerner gave before the legislature. His speech was printed in its entirety in the *Daily Clarion-Ledger* in Jackson, Mississippi on February 23, 1890.
#71 | 44:41 to 45:17 | cleaned
And let me read you part of this. Listen to what he says. "Mr. Speaker, I have arisen here in my place to offer a few words on the bill. I have come from a sickbed. Perhaps it was not prudent for me to come, but, sir, I could not rest quietly in my room without contributing a few remarks of my own. I was sorry to hear the speech of the young gentleman from Marshall County. I'm sorry that any son of a soldier should go on record as opposed to the erection of a monument in honor of the brave dead. And, sir, I'm convinced that had he seen what I saw at Seven Pines and in the Seven Days' fighting around Richmond, the battlefield covered with the mangled forms of those who fought for their country and for their country's honor, he would not have made that speech."
#72 | 45:17 to 46:12 | cleaned
"When the news came that the South had been invaded"—did you hear that? This is a black man speaking—"When the news came that the South had been invaded, those men went forth to fight for what they believed, and they made no requests for monuments. But they died, and their virtues should be remembered. Sir, I went with them. I, too, wore the gray, the same color my master wore."
#73 | 46:14 to 46:39 | cleaned
"We stayed four long years, and if that war had gone on till now, I would have been there yet. I want to honor those brave men who died for their convictions. When my mother died, I was a boy. Who, sir, then acted the part of a mother to the orphaned slave boy but my old missus? Were she living now, or could speak to me from those higher realms where all are gathered, the sainted dead, she would tell me to vote for this bill. And, sir, I shall vote for it. I want it known to all the world that my vote is given in favor of the bill to erect a monument in honor of the Confederate dead." End quote.
#74 | 46:40 to 47:16 | cleaned
Did you hear what that black representative said? He said, "I, too, wore the gray. The same color my master wore. We stayed four long years. And if the war was still going on, I would be there yet." Thankfully, that Confederate memorial was erected. I don't know if you've ever thought about this or not. But the very fact that there were not any slave uprisings during the war
#75 | 47:17 to 47:52 | cleaned
demonstrates the relationship that the masters had with their slaves. As one author noted, a thousand torches in a thousand black hands would have been enough to empty the Confederate army. Why? Those men would have returned from those lines to protect their homes and their families. But there was none of that. In fact, you find just the opposite. If I had time today, I could keep going and keep going and give you illustration after illustration how the blacks fought alongside the whites in defending the South.
#76 | 47:54 to 48:36 | cleaned
Now, I want to make an application today because I want to make all of this relevant, okay? I used a word in this sermon and in other lessons that is not politically correct today. But I use the word quoting those who said it themselves and that is the word "nigger." I did not use the word contemptuously. I was just giving the quote. You will find that words change. Connotations of words change. People change. The blacks used to refer to themselves as "niggers." Then they went to "colored people." Then they went to "persons of color," or to "black people," or to "African-Americans." So words are mutable. They change. Now, I do not know where the word "nigger" originally came from. The word "nigger" or "niggardly" was in the dictionary before a black man ever set foot around us, okay? If you will go to any dictionary, you can look up the word "niggardly" or "nigger," and it simply means to be selfish, to be, you know, not willing to share, in other words, to be miserly.
#77 | 48:37 to 50:13 | cleaned
It's a word that is used. Now, when the word is applied to the blacks, I do not know if it is a slang from Nigeria or the Niger River. In fact, the word "Niger" or "nigger," depending on your pronunciation, is found even in the Book of Acts. Simon who was called Niger.
#78 | 50:14 to 50:34 | cleaned
Now, the Spanish "negro" just means black. I'm not sure how to pronounce the French word "Negra," N-E-G-R-A. It means black as well. In fact, I have a black friend who was telling me that he went shopping a few weeks ago and he had a lot of fun because he went up to the white sales clerk and he said, "You know, I did not know that this store carried items made especially for people of my race."
#79 | 50:35 to 51:13 | cleaned
The woman said, "What are you talking about?" He said, "Well, look at these socks. And look at this sweatshirt and it had on there 'made for' and it had 'black.'" All right. No, no, no. "Black" had "Negro" on it. He said, "So this was made just for the Negroes. Is that right?" And the woman turned all kind of shades of red and she got embarrassed. And of course, he was smiling because he already knew. And she called another sales clerk over and the sales clerk, she got embarrassed. And then finally, they got a third one and they said, "Oh, the word 'Negro' is just Spanish for black. That just means that this is a black, you know, shirt. That's all it meant." Because of the Hispanics, they're writing it in English and in Spanish as well. And of course, he just laughed.
#80 | 51:14 to 52:00 | cleaned
He had a big ball out of the whole thing. Now, the point is this. In the 1800s, the blacks referred to themselves as "niggers." It was not a slang term. It was not a term of contempt. It was a colloquialism. Whites referred to them as that. Even when I was a boy, which has not been that long ago, I've heard blacks call other blacks "niggers." I have heard that in recent years as well.
#81 | 52:00 to 52:36 | cleaned
Now you say, "But Brother Weaver, does that mean you want to go around calling every black man a nigger?" No. I would suppose today it's kind of like a brother telling his sister that she's ugly. The brother might can do it, but nobody else better do it. You see what I'm saying?
#82 | 52:38 to 52:59 | cleaned
Now, let me just try to explain something to you. I'm going to show you some scriptures. I'm going to tell you how I was raised. You may have been raised this way. You may not have been. I'm not saying that my raising is the standard. It is not. The Bible is the standard. Okay? But I believe that the way I was raised in this area is biblical. You say, "Well, how were you raised?" With the understanding that there are "niggers" and there are "black folks" just like there's "white trash" and "white folks."
#83 | 53:00 to 53:54 | cleaned
The importance is not dependent upon the color but upon the character. Any black person can be a "nigger" or a "black man," just like any white person can be a "white man" or "white trash," or what you want to call it. "Honky," it doesn't matter. Now, I want to show you something. Look in your Bibles to the book of Proverbs chapter 26. Proverbs 26. Proverbs 26, look at verse 1.
#84 | 53:57 to 54:33 | cleaned
Scripture says, "As snow in summer and as rain in harvest, so honor is not seemly for a fool." Now, honor is not seemly for a fool, but honor is seemly for a wise man. That's the opposite. What's a wise man? A wise man is one that knows the word of God and obeys the word of God. Let me put that in another way. A wise man is someone that has character and integrity and honor. So a black man, let's put it like this, can either be a fool or a "nigger" or a "black man" or an honorable man, just like a white man can either be a fool or "white trash" or a "white man," depending upon his character. Look in verse 8, he says, "As he that bindeth a stone in a sling, so is he that giveth honor to a fool." You don't give honor to someone who does not deserve honor. That's all there is to it. I don't care what color he is. Pink, purple, polka dot. You don't give honor to someone who does not deserve honor.
#85 | 54:37 to 55:45 | cleaned
Look in Proverbs 29, verse 23. Proverbs 29, verse 23. "A man's pride shall bring him low, but honor shall uphold the humble in spirit." What is going to uphold us? Honor. Integrity. Character. Let me tell you something, folks. You may not ever think it has any influence on you, but I can tell you it has influence on me. Because sometimes when I'm tempted to do something, my first reaction is, "I've got better character than that. I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to stoop that low. I will not." Not only because of God's Word, but because of character and integrity. I'm just not going to do certain things. I'm not. Now, the Bible says in Romans 13, verse 7, that we're to give honor to whom honor is due.
#86 | 55:46 to 56:53 | cleaned
Now, let me ask you a question. Is honor due to a sorry, lazy, indolent, worthless black man? No. Let me ask another way. Is honor due to a sorry, worthless, lazy, indolent white man? No. There was a black man that I worked with when I was in college. He was one of the hardest working men I've ever known. He was always on time. He was never late. He never messed around. When he was supposed to be working, he worked. He had four children. And that man put all four of his children through college without government aid.
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Now, do I respect him? You better believe I do. He was a hard-working man.
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Now, the point I'm trying to make is this. I don't care what color you are. You can't demand honor. You have to earn honor. You have to have the character and the integrity that will enable people to honor you. I told this to a black man recently. And I still believe it's the truth. I'm ashamed to say it. But most black folks and most white folks under 40 today are not worth shooting.
#89 | 58:08 to 58:53 | cleaned
What do I mean by that? They have no character. They have no convictions. They have no integrity. They won't work. They're worthless. And all they're looking for is a government handout. White, black, brown, all. The problem that we're facing with Y2K next year is going to be far different from the recession in '29 and '30. Let me tell you why. Because in '29 and '30 there was still some character and some honesty. Today there is none. So what does this mean? It means we must learn to recognize character and integrity in people.
#90 | 58:57 to 59:58 | cleaned
Let me just show you. Let me give you an example. I was here in town getting gas in order to drive down to Florida to teach. Just as I got ready to go pay for the gas, I was walking to the door. And I was walking quickly because I was in a hurry. And coming from the opposite direction, or at an angle from me, was a black man who evidently was in a hurry as well. He's walking as fast as I was. And it looked exactly like we were going to hit that door at the same time. And I just, I saw him and I saw the expression on his face.
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And I knew what he was thinking. And so I quick stepped. And I got to the door a step before he did. And I knew what he was thinking. I was going to step in and slam the door and let him open. But when I got there, I grabbed the door and I held it open. And I said, "Go right on in." I held the door open for him.
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You should have seen the smile on his face. I mean, from ear to ear. And he reached up and he patted me on the shoulder. He said, "Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir." And he went right on in.
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Now, the point that I'm making, I was in a hurry, but so was he. And all I was was just kind. And what did he do? "Thank you, sir." Instead of cussing me, he thanked me. So, the point I'm making is, folks, we need to go back to character and honor. You judge a man by what he's made of, how he lives, and what he does. And I don't care if you're white as the day is long. If you're sorry, you're sorry.
#94 | 1:01:31 to 1:02:12 | cleaned
If you know good, you know good. And we need to develop biblical and godly character. Let's pray. Father, we ask for your blessing and help today. Speak to our hearts. Enable us to live for Thee and to honor Thee in all that we do, in Christ's name, amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T23:19:10Z

Where We Are & How We Got Here # 8 of 14

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver continues his series on Southern history by examining race relations in the antebellum South. He argues that slavery was a biblically regulated institution and that the relationship between masters and slaves was generally one of affection, kindness, and mutual benefit, contrary to abolitionist propaganda. Using historical records, slave narratives, and official war documents, he contends that abuse was the exception, not the rule, and that most mistreatment of blacks came from Northern troops during the Civil War. He concludes with a call to judge people by character rather than color, emphasizing biblical honor and integrity.

Introduction and Biblical Foundation

Weaver introduces the topic of race relations in the context of Southern slavery, referencing Ephesians 6:5-9 to establish that slavery is biblically regulated and not inherently evil.

The Patriarchal Nature of Southern Slavery

Weaver asserts that slavery in the South was patriarchal, with slaves treated as family members, citing Judge George L. Christian's 1907 speech to Confederate veterans.

Testimonies of Kindness from European and Northern Observers

Abuse as the Exception, Not the Rule

Weaver acknowledges some mistreatment but argues it was rare and condemned by public opinion, citing Robert Lewis Dabney and Dr. William S. White.

Biblical Warnings to Masters and Modern Application

Weaver expounds Ephesians 6:9 and Colossians 4:1, warning masters of God's judgment and applying the principle to modern employer-employee relationships.

Scripture Reading — Colossians 4:1

"Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal, knowing that you also have a master in heaven."

Evidence from Plantation Records and Official War Documents

Weaver cites the book *Time on the Cross* and official war records to show that slaves were well-treated and that most abuse came from Northern troops, including rapes and forced conscription.

Black Loyalty to the Confederacy

Weaver provides examples of blacks serving willingly in the Confederate army and refusing Union offers of freedom, demonstrating their loyalty to the South.

First-Hand Slave Narratives Affirming Good Treatment

Weaver shares excerpts from WPA slave narratives in which former slaves speak positively of their masters, with 86% describing them as good or kind.

Slaves' Refusal of Freedom and Post-War Loyalty

Weaver recounts stories of slaves who chose to stay with their masters after emancipation and a black legislator's speech supporting a Confederate monument.

Application: Character Over Color

Weaver discusses the changing connotations of racial terms and argues that honor should be based on character and integrity, not skin color, urging a return to biblical standards.

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 26:8

Look in Proverbs 29, verse 23. Proverbs 29, verse 23. "A man's pride shall bring him low, but honor shall uphold the humble in spirit." What is going to uphold us? Honor. Integrity. Character. Let me tell you something, folks. You may not ever think it has any influence on you, but I can tell you it has influence on me. Because sometimes when I'm tempted to do something, my first reaction is, "I've got better character than that. I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to stoop that low. I will not." Not only because of God's Word, but because of character and integrity. I'm just not going to do certain things. I'm not. Now, the Bible says in Romans 13, verse 7, that we're to give honor to whom honor is due.

You should have seen the smile on his face. I mean, from ear to ear. And he reached up and he patted me on the shoulder. He said, "Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir." And he went right on in.

Where We Are & How We Got Here # 8 of 14

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	230415926
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Romans: Sin, Judgment, and Gospel Foundations: Prepared Hearts
Genre	Sermon
Date	1998-08-23
Dictation Name
Book	Book 119: Where We Are & How We Got Here — Chapter 8
Source Timed Segments	95

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction and Biblical Foundation: Weaver introduces the topic of race relations in the context of Southern slavery, referencing Ephesians 6:5-9 to establish that slavery is biblically regulated and not inherently evil.
The Patriarchal Nature of Southern Slavery: Weaver asserts that slavery in the South was patriarchal, with slaves treated as family members, citing Judge George L. Christian's 1907 speech to Confederate veterans.
Testimonies of Kindness from European and Northern Observers: Weaver quotes Englishmen Sir Charles Lyell and Sir James S. Buckingham, and Northern abolitionist Frederick Law Olmsted, who acknowledged the good treatment of slaves in the South compared to the North.
Abuse as the Exception, Not the Rule: Weaver acknowledges some mistreatment but argues it was rare and condemned by public opinion, citing Robert Lewis Dabney and Dr. William S. White.
Biblical Warnings to Masters and Modern Application: Weaver expounds Ephesians 6:9 and Colossians 4:1, warning masters of God's judgment and applying the principle to modern employer-employee relationships.
Evidence from Plantation Records and Official War Documents: Weaver cites the book *Time on the Cross* and official war records to show that slaves were well-treated and that most abuse came from Northern troops, including rapes and forced conscription.
Black Loyalty to the Confederacy: Weaver provides examples of blacks serving willingly in the Confederate army and refusing Union offers of freedom, demonstrating their loyalty to the South.
First-Hand Slave Narratives Affirming Good Treatment: Weaver shares excerpts from WPA slave narratives in which former slaves speak positively of their masters, with 86% describing them as good or kind.
Slaves' Refusal of Freedom and Post-War Loyalty: Weaver recounts stories of slaves who chose to stay with their masters after emancipation and a black legislator's speech supporting a Confederate monument.
Application: Character Over Color: Weaver discusses the changing connotations of racial terms and argues that honor should be based on character and integrity, not skin color, urging a return to biblical standards.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Slavery is biblically sanctioned and regulated

The Bible provides rules for master-slave relationships, proving slavery is not inherently sinful.

Weaver reads Ephesians 6:5-9 and states, 'God lays down the regulations of the Bible for regulating not only the master, but the slave as well.'

Southern slavery was patriarchal and benevolent

Historical testimony from a Confederate judge and European travelers confirms that slaves were treated as family with kindness.

Judge Christian's 1907 speech: 'slavery as it existed in the South was patriarchal in its character... treated with kindness and consideration.'

Northern prejudice exceeded Southern prejudice

English observers noted that racial prejudice was stronger in the North, where social interaction between races was avoided.

Buckingham's 1842 observation: 'the prejudice of color is not nearly so strong in the South as it is in the North.'

Abuse was rare and condemned

While exceptions existed, they were not the norm, and public opinion reprobated cruel masters.

Dabney: 'they were relatively rare and infrequent and were strongly reprobated by public opinion.'

Most abuse came from the North

Official war records document Northern troops committing rapes and forced conscription of blacks.

Hayward's letter: 'were committing rapes on the Negroes and such like things.'

Blacks willingly supported the Confederacy

Many blacks served in the Confederate army and refused Union offers of freedom, showing loyalty to the South.

Steiner's report: 'Over 3,000 Negroes must be included in this number of Confederate troops... Most of the Negroes had arms.'

Slave narratives confirm good treatment

First-hand accounts from former slaves overwhelmingly describe their masters as kind and good.

Weaver cites that 86% of slave narratives refer to their master as good or kind, and quotes Issa Morgan: 'Massa never whipped none of his slaves.'

Honor must be earned by character, not color

Biblical honor is due to those with integrity, regardless of race; both races have individuals of good and bad character.

Weaver states, 'You can't demand honor. You have to earn honor. You have to have the character and the integrity that will enable people to honor you.'

Scripture References

Ephesians 6:5-9: Weaver reads the passage to show biblical regulations for slaves and masters, emphasizing that slavery is God-ordained and not inherently evil.
Colossians 4:1: Weaver cites this verse to warn masters to treat slaves justly and equally, knowing they have a Master in heaven.
Proverbs 26:1: Weaver uses this verse to argue that honor is not fitting for a fool, implying that character, not color, determines worthiness of honor.
Proverbs 26:8: Weaver quotes this to reinforce that giving honor to a fool is as useless as binding a stone in a sling.
Proverbs 29:23: Weaver cites this to show that honor upholds the humble in spirit, linking honor to character.
Romans 13:7: Weaver references this verse to support the principle of giving honor to whom honor is due.
Acts 13:1 (implied Simon called Niger): Weaver mentions that the word 'Niger' appears in Acts, referring to Simon called Niger, to discuss the etymology of racial terms.

Historical References

Judge George L. Christian, 1907 Confederate Veterans Reunion: Weaver quotes Judge Christian's speech describing Southern slavery as patriarchal and affectionate, delivered at a reunion where living veterans could verify its truth.
Sir Charles Lyell, Travels in North America (1841-1842): Weaver cites Lyell's observation that slaves were better fed than European laborers and that affection existed between masters and slaves.
Sir James S. Buckingham, 1842: Weaver quotes Buckingham's statement that color prejudice was stronger in the North than in the South.
Robert Lewis Dabney, Presbyterian theologian and Stonewall Jackson's aide-de-camp: Weaver quotes Dabney's admission that abuse was rare and condemned by public opinion.
Dr. William S. White, Presbyterian pastor and Stonewall Jackson's pastor: Weaver quotes White comparing rare slave abuse to rare domestic abuse, arguing it does not condemn the institution.
Fogel and Engerman, Time on the Cross: Weaver mentions this academic study of plantation records that contradicts abolitionist claims and shows slaves were well-treated.
Official Records of the War of the Rebellion: Weaver cites letters and dispatches documenting Northern troops' rapes, plunder, and forced conscription of blacks.
WPA Slave Narratives (1930s): Weaver quotes multiple former slaves who spoke positively of their masters and expressed loyalty to the South.
John F. Harrison, black Mississippi legislator, 1890: Weaver reads Harrison's speech supporting a Confederate monument, in which he states he wore the gray and would fight again.

Important Quotes

In the first place, slavery as it existed in the South was patriarchal in its character.

Establishes the core claim that Southern slavery was familial and benevolent, not oppressive.

This is only one among the many proofs I had witnessed of the fact that the prejudice of color is not nearly so strong in the South as it is in the North.

Supports the argument that racial prejudice was worse in the North, contrary to common belief.

Now while we freely admit that there were in the South instances of criminal barbarity and corporal punishments, they were relatively rare and infrequent and were strongly reprobated by public opinion.

Acknowledges abuse but frames it as exceptional and socially condemned.

I will never disgrace my family by such an oath.

Illustrates the deep loyalty of some slaves to their masters' families, refusing freedom to maintain honor.

The importance is not dependent upon the color but upon the character.

Summarizes the application that honor should be based on integrity, not race.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How does the biblical regulation of slavery in Ephesians 6 challenge modern assumptions about the institution?

[Context]

Weaver argues that slavery is not inherently evil because God provided rules for it.

[Question]

What evidence does Weaver present to support the claim that Southern slavery was patriarchal and affectionate?

[Context]

Weaver quotes Judge Christian and European observers to describe the familial nature of master-slave relations.

[Question]

Why does Weaver emphasize that abuse was the exception and not the rule, and how does he reconcile this with biblical commands?

[Context]

Weaver cites Dabney and White to argue that rare abuse does not condemn the entire institution.

[Question]

How do the official war records and slave narratives shape our understanding of race relations during the Civil War?

[Context]

Weaver uses these sources to claim that Northern troops committed most abuses and that slaves were loyal to the South.

[Question]

What does the loyalty of blacks to the Confederacy reveal about their perceived self-interest and relationships with whites?

[Context]

Weaver provides examples of blacks fighting for the South and refusing Union offers of freedom.

[Question]

How should Christians apply the biblical principle of giving honor to whom honor is due in a racially diverse society?

[Context]

Weaver argues that honor must be earned by character, not demanded by race, citing Proverbs and Romans.

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T14:22:24Z