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| Samuel Morse |
Samuel Morse studied at Yale University and became quite successful as a painter and inventor. He primarily painted portraits, including “Gallery of the Louvre” in 1833 and a portrait of his wife “Susan Walker Morse (The Muse)” in 1837. Amid his painting career, he also developed an electric telegraph in 1835. Three years later, he established the infamous “morse code”. Throughout his life, he was very charitable as he gave many funds to a variety of people and organizations.
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| Morse's Electric Telegraph |
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| "Susan Walker Morse" (1837) |
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| "Gallery of the Louvre" (1833) |
After Morse graduated from Yale, he moved down to South Carolina and became the president of two pro-slavery organizations: The American Society for the Promotion of National Unity and Society for the Diffusion of Political Knowledge. Every aspect of slavery he saw as a positive good for society.
Morse held very extreme views on slavery. During his time as President of the American Society for the Promotion of National Unity, the organization "thanked God that four million beings, incapable of self-care, were entrusted to Southerners” (Mabee, 1943: 346, 348-350). The term ‘beings’ implies that slaves do not have humane lives, they are just present. Therefore, not only is Morse saying that slaves are not self-sufficient, they are not equally human.
Morse believed slavery is sanctioned by God as it is “in perfect harmony with the Savior’s mission to earth” (Morse, Ethical Position of Slavery, 1863:10). He argues that slavery is not denounced anywhere in the Bible, so therefore it must not be a sin and is perfectly acceptable.
Furthermore, Morse claimed it is sinful to oppose slavery and that all abolitionists should be excommunicated from the church. He argued that abolitionists refute an “essential and indispensable divinely arranged part of the social system” and are the root of all arising problems regarding slavery (Morse, Ethical Position of Slavery, 1863: 10). He views abolitionists as evil for presenting slavery in a negative way which divides the country when slavery would work perfectly if left to happen naturally under God.
Additionally, Morse saw slavery as an indispensable regulator of the social system. He expressed that master/slave relations are the “most beautiful example of domestic happiness and contentment that this fallen world knows” (Morse, Ethical Position of Slavery, 1863: 13). He sees that society is not perfect, but he understands that slavery is the key to fixing all the problems that abolitionists cause.
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