REVIEW OF THE REPORTS OF THE AMERICAN COLONIZATION SOCIETY.
[New Haven? 1823?]. 23, [1 blank] pp. Stitched, untrimmed, lightly foxed. Very Good,
The Review is based on the Society's Reports for the years 1818-1823, as published in the Christian Spectator.
The profoundly ambiguous moral position of colonizationists-- opposed to slavery but also dreading the presence of free Negroes in their midst-- attracted adherents across a wide spectrum of white America, particularly in Border States like Maryland, where the Free Negro population was expanding rapidly. Bushrod Washington [the Society's President], Henry Clay, Chief Justice Marshall, other Border State men, and a legion of ministers were members of the Society. Colonization in Liberia would eliminate slavery by removing the troublesome Negroes, while the Society could congratulate itself for having acted beneficently.
This Review enthusiastically commends the Society's activities. "The slavery which exists in our country is more ominous in its character and tendency than any similar system which has ever existed in other countries." The Negroes who are "denominated free" are in fact subject to treatment "more vicious and miserable than slaves can be." The Review argues that Colonization, "with their own consent," is the most sensible and practical solution to the problem.
AI 13935. Not in LCP. Item #41053
Price: $375.00