Frederick Douglass
"Sir. I send you for publication, an interesting paper, written evidently by a competent person, one very intelligent upon the subject, as a contribution to the National Intelligencer (of Washington City, D.C.), giving a statistic summary of the five States of CENTRAL AMERICA. Of course, anything said in commendation of this paper, every due allowance is made for the peculiar Anglo Saxon prejudices of the writer, in his allusion to the "superiority" of the white race, a fact well worthy of remark, that wherever found, this same Anglo Saxon race, is the most inveterate enemy of the colored races, of whatever origin, whether African, Mongolian, Malayan, or Indian. This is substantially true (to which there are always individual exceptions) but is not really the case with any other race of the Caucasian type. You will find by this writer's own acknowledgement, that the greater part of the inhabitants of the country are colored people, there being more whites in proportion in the little State of Costa Rica, than in any other of the States, and these fall far in the minority.
"I am deeply interested in this subject, and you will not charge me with the 'egotism' with which a distinguished statesman was charged during the Mexican War with the United States, who said, that he had 'studied Humboldt forty years ago' when I say, that I am equally, if not more familiar with the subject of these countries, that the most of colored men, having made them a matter of thought, for more than seventeen years, at which time (being very young) I introduced the subject before the young people, and have never since abandoned it. But for my views upon this subject, I refer you and the reader to a work, recently published by myself on the Condition, Elevation, Emigration and Destiny of the Colored People of the United States.
"This work, a copy of which I sent you in May, on its issue, has never been noticed in the columns of your paper. This silence and neglect on your paper was unjustifiable, because in noticing it, it was not necessary that you should implicate yourself either with the errors or sentiments therein contained.
You could have given it a circulating notice, by saying such a book had been written by me (saying anything else about or against it you pleased), and let those who read it pass their own opinions also. But you heaped upon it a cold, and deathly silence.
This is not the course you pursue towards any issue, good or bad, sent you by white persons; you have always given them some notice. I desire not here to make an undue allusion, but simply to be treated as justly as you treat them. I care but little, what white men think of what I say, write, or do; my sole desire is to benefit the colored people; this being done, I am satisfied: the opinion of every white person in the country or the world, to the contrary notwithstanding. This, I believe, so far, my book has accomplished, at least, the colored people generally are pleased with it, and that is all I desire in this case. It is true, there are some white men and women whose good opinion I desire and esteem; but these are few, good and tried friends. The remarks I make concerning your neglect, will also apply to Mr. Henry Bibb. I may add that when it was my province to conduct a Journal, I always took pleasure in noticing anything to enhance either of your interests. But no matter.
"I desire that our people have light and information upon the available means of bettering their condition; this they must and shall have. We never have, as heretofore, had any settled and established policy of our own, we have always adopted the policies that white men established for themselves without considering their applicability or adaptedness to us. No people can rise in this way. We must have a position, independently of anything, pertaining to white men as nations. I weary of our miserable condition, and am heartily sich of whimpering, whining and snivelling at the feet of the white men, begging for their refuse and offals existing by mere sufferance. You will please give this an insertion, in any part of the paper, so that the letter and article appear in the same number. Yours for God and Humanity.
To Frederick Douglass, July 10, 1852, asking why Douglass failed to review his new book that called for African Americans to emigrate back to Africa or South America on their own. Douglass parted company with Delany on this issue, in part, for fear of losing support from his influential white backers.
The letter was reprinted in Frederick Douglass' Paper, July 23, 1852.
(Douglass would later state his contrary position as follows: "The question is: Can the white and colored people of this country be blended into a common nationality, and enjoy together in the same country, under the same flag, the inestimable blessings of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, as neighborly citizens of a common country? I answer most unhesitatingly, I believe they can." (Ullman, p. 145).
