In 1780, Pennsylvania adopted a law gradually abolishing slavery in the state. Richard Allen and Absalom Jones were leaders of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the broader free African American community in Philadelphia. They organized a system of nursing care during the 1793 outbreak. Although Matthew Carey singled out the pair for special praise in his Short Account, Jones and Allen rejected Carey’s “partial representation” of the work that other African Americans had performed during the crisis. They wrote an impassioned response to “declare the facts as they really were” and, in the process, produced the first work by African American authors to be published under copyright in the United States.
Early in September, a solicitation appeared in the public papers, to the people of colour to come forward and assist the distressed, perishing, and neglected sick; with a kind of assurance, that people of our colour were not liable to take the infection. Upon which we and a few others met and consulted how to act on so truly alarming and melancholy an occasion…. We visited upwards of twenty families that day — they were scenes of woe indeed! The Lord was pleased to strengthen us, and remove all fear from us, and disposed our hearts to be as useful as possible….
We then offered our services in the public papers, by advertising that we would remove the dead and procure nurses. The mortality increasing rapidly, obliged us to call in the assistance of five hired men, in the awful discharge of interring the dead. They, with great reluctance, were prevailed upon to join us. It was very uncommon, at this time, to find any one that would go near, much more, handle, a sick or dead person….
We feel ourselves sensibly aggrieved by the censorious epithets of many, who did not render the least assistance in the time of necessity, yet are liberal of their censure of us, for the prices paid for our services….
We do assure the public, that all the money we have received, for burying, and for coffins which we ourselves purchased and procured, has not defrayed the expence of wages which we had to pay to those whom we employed to assist us….
We feel ourselves hurt most by a partial, censorious paragraph, in Mr. Carey’s … account of the sickness, &c. in Philadelphia … where he asperses the blacks alone, for having taken the advantage of the distressed situation of the people. That some extravagant prices were paid, we admit; but how came they to be demanded? the reason is plain. It was with difficulty persons could be had to supply the wants of the sick, as nurses; — applications became more and more numerous, the consequence was when we procured them at six dollars a week … we found they were gone elsewhere … we found, they had been allured away by others who offered greater wages, until they got from two to four dollars per day. It was natural for people in low circumstances to accept a voluntary, bounteous reward; especially under the loathsomeness of many of the sick, when nature shuddered at the thoughts of the infection, and the talk assigned was aggravated by lunacy, and being left much alone with them. Had Mr. Carey been solicited to such an undertaking … what would he have demanded? … ’Tis true Mr. Carey is no hireling, and had a right to flee, and upon his return, to plead the cause of those who fled; yet, we think, he was wrong in giving so partial and injurious account of the black nurses; if they have taken advantage of the public distress? Is it any more than he hath done of its desire for information. We believe he has made more money by the sale of his “scraps” than a dozen of the greatest extortioners among the black nurses…. That there were some few black people guilty of plundering the distressed, we acknowledge; but in that they only are pointed out, and made mention of, we esteem partial and injurious; we know as many whites who were guilty of it; but this is looked over, while the blacks are held up to censure. — Is it a greater crime for a black to pilfer, than for a white to privateer?
We wish not to offend, but when an unprovoked attempt is made, to make us blacker than we are, it becomes less necessary to be over cautious on that account; therefore we shall take the liberty to tell of the conduct of some of the whites….
Mr. Carey tells us, Bush-Hill exhibited as wretched a picture of human misery, as ever existed. A profligate abandoned set of nurses and attendants … rioted on the provisions and comforts, prepared for the sick, who … were left almost entirely destitute of every assistance. The dying and dead were indiscriminately mingled together. The ordure and other evacuations of the sick, were allowed to remain in the most offensive state imaginable. Not the smallest appearance of order or regularity existed. It was in fact a great human slaughter house, where numerous victims were immolated at the altar of intemperance.
The bad consequences many of our colour apprehend from a partial relation of our conduct are, that it will prejudice the minds of the people in general against us….
It is unpleasant for us to make these remarks, but justice to our colour demands it…. By naming us, [Carey] leaves these others, in the hazardous state of being classed with those who are called the “vilest.” … We have many unprovoked enemies who begrudge us the liberty we enjoy, and are glad to hear of any complaint against our colour, be it just or unjust….
Mr. Carey’s first, second, and third editions, are gone forth into the world, and in all probability, have been read by thousands that will never read his fourth — consequently any alteration he may hereafter make, in the paragraph alluded to, cannot have the desired effect, or atone for the past; therefore we apprehend it necessary to publish our thoughts on the occasion. Had Mr. Carey said, a number of white and black Wretches eagerly seized on the opportunity to extort from the distressed, and some few of both were detected in plundering the sick, it might extenuate, in a great degree, the having made mention of the blacks….
We mention this to shew … we have suffered equally with the whites, our distress hath been very great, but much unknown to the white people. Few have been the whites that paid attention to us while the black were engaged in the other’s service….
It is even to this day a generally received opinion in this city, that our colour was not so liable to the sickness as the whites…. When the people of colour had the sickness and died, we were imposed upon and told it was not with the prevailing sickness, until it became too notorious to be denied, then we were told some few died but not many. Thus were our services extorted at the peril of our lives, yet you accuse us of extorting a little money from you…. In 1792, there were 67 of our colour buried, and in 1793 it amounted to 305; thus the burials among us have increased fourfold, was this not in a great degree the effects of the services of the unjustly vilified black people? …
Notwithstanding the compliment Mr. Carey hath paid us, we have found reports spread, of our taking between one, and two hundred beds, from houses where people died; such slanderers as these, who propagate such willful lies are dangerous, although unworthy notice. We wish if any person hath the least suspicion of us, they would endeavour to bring us to the punishment which such atrocious conduct must deserve; and by this means, the innocent will be cleared from reproach, and the guilty known.
Source: Richard Allen and Absalom Jones, A Narrative of the Proceedings of the Black People During the Late Awful Calamity in Philadelphia in the Year 1793: And a Refutation of Some Censures Thrown upon Them in Some Late Publications (Philadelphia, 1794), 3–10, 12–16, 20.
Evaluating the Evidence