The following excerpt is pulled from a lecture by John Minor dated October 26, 1860, focusing on Chapter 14 of Blackstone’s Commentaries. This lecture draws upon the same content on “masters and servants” that John A.G. Davis used in his lectures (recorded in Blatterman’s notes). Minor did not shy away from the social and racial implications of slavery in this lecture, nor did he make appeals to natural law to support it. Like Davis, Minor argued that slavery was foundational to the social order in the state of Virginia, and he suggested that an emancipated black population could not have lived alongside whites Virginians. Instead, Minor emphasized humane treatment of the enslaved in the name of preserving the rights of enslavers.
“Our slavery justified by the necessities of society; we could not possibly get along, or exist as a society if slaves were emancipated. All servants are supposed to be hired for 1 year if the contrary is not stipulated; but menial servants may leave on one month's notice or forfeiting one month's wages; so they may be turned off on one month's notice or by being prepaid one month's wages. Probably the master would not be liable for any wilful [sic] wrong of his slave. In 1778 penalty of £1000 imposed on all who introduced by land or water any slave into VA and the slave was given his liberty. The legislation of VA especially of late years has been humane to the slave, executing the privilege to a master of punishing his slave even maliciously if done in private.” (p. 313)