The American Colonization Society

In the early 1800s a major social movement, the American Colonization Society, secured marked support in the United States. Despite the endorsement of prominent humanitarians and sympathetic politicians in both the North and South, the colonization movement faltered in its initial goal of colonizing free blacks and its later efforts to encourage voluntary and gradual emancipation. This work explores the Society's organization, purpose, growth, and the various factors that led to its ultimate failure.