American Colonization Society

The American Colonization Society (ACS), which was originally called the American Society for Colonizing the Free People of Color in the United States, was founded in 1816 in Washington, D.C. The society was started by Robert Finley, a white Presbyterian minister from Basking Ridge, New Jersey, who like many white Americans of his time believed that the African presence in the United States threatened the welfare of the nation and the quality of life for white people. Therefore, the primary aim of the ACS was to assist all free Africans in the United States in emigrating to a colony established in Africa. Liberia was created for that purpose, and Sierra Leone was created by Great Britain for similar reasons. Some within the ACS thought that emigration was a viable alternative to emancipation. However, the members of the ACS varied considerably in their beliefs. Some sincerely supported free Africans. They insisted that colonization would put an end to enslavement. However, there were others who wanted to maintain enslavement, as well as eliminate the free Africans they believed threatened the institution of slavery and could potentially encourage insurrections among enslaved Africans.

As early as 1714, a New Jersey man had suggested sending Africans back to Africa. Soon after the Revolutionary War, a Virginia legislative committee led by Thomas Jefferson devised a plan of gradual emancipation and deportation. Other organizations also pursued the idea of colonization. Paul Cuffee, a free African and accomplished businessman and seafarer, was the first to actually succeed in relocating Africans from the United States to Africa. In 1815, using his own resources, he transported 38 Africans.

The philanthropists, abolitionists, and clergy wanted to free enslaved Africans and their descendants, and give them the opportunity to emigrate back to Africa, whereas the slaveowners and their sympathizers, fearing that free Africans threatened the institution of enslavement, wanted to rid the nation of these “troublemakers.” It was difficult for the latter group to imagine a society in which whites were integrated with blacks. Nevertheless, the ACS included both of these groups. Many whites believed that Africans were inferior and maintained that the African presence was an obstacle to American progress and development. For these reasons, they supported colonization.

In December 1816, Finley traveled to Washington, D.C., where he secured the support for the ACS from prominent white Americans. Among the early founders were Finley's brother-in-law, Elias B. Caldwell, clerk of the Supreme Court; attorney Francis Scott Key (author of “The Star Spangled Banner”); Supreme Court Justice Bushrod Washington, the nephew of George Washington; Henry Clay, the Speaker of the House; and Charles Fenton Mercer, a member of the House of Representatives. Soon after adopting a constitution, the group spent several years fundraising for the society. To that end, the society lobbied Congress and James Monroe, the president of the United States. In 1819, Congress granted the ACS $100,000 in funding. Some white-owned companies believed that they could profit from the ACS venture. To raise funds for the enterprise, the ACS dispersed agents. Thousands of dollars were collected to purchase and charter ships. By 1832, several legislatures had given the ACS official approval. Even slave-holding states had colonization organizations. The ACS was the largest of such [Page 84]organization but was by no means the only organization committed to colonization. Southern newspapers also contributed to the cause of colonization of free Africans.

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