William Loughton Smith

Who was William Loughton Smith?

William Loughton Smith was an American lawyer from Charleston, South Carolina. He represented South Carolina in the U.S. House from 1789 until 1797 and served as the U.S. Minister to Portugal 1797–1801.

Quote from a speech given by Representative Smith on March 17, 1790 on the floor of the House of Representatives,

""If the blacks did not intermarry with the whites, they would remain black until the end of time; for it was not contended that liberating them would whitewash them; if they did intermarry with the whites, then the white race would be extinct, and the American people would all be of mulatto breed. In whatever light, therefore, the subject was viewed, the folly of emancipation was manifest."