American Colonization Society
- Name
- American Colonization Society
- Alternate Name
- Society for the Colonization of Free People of Color of America
- Description
-
The American Colonization Society was established in 1816 for the purpose of encouraging and supporting the emigration of free African Americans to Africa. It was originally called the American Society for Colonizing the Free People of Colour of the United States, but came to be known as simply the American Colonization Society or ACS. The organization's founders believed that free Black people would never successfully integrate into American society as independent economic and political agents. One of the chief projects of ACS was the establishment of the colony of Liberia in West Africa as a destination for Black American emigrants.
This national organization was founded and sustained by prominent men from New Jersey and had particularly strong ties with the Princeton Theological Seminary and Princeton University (then called the College of New Jersey). Princeton-born Presbyterian minister named Robert Finley was the organization's chief founder.
In the twentieth century, ACS evolved to focus more on missionary and educational work in Liberia rather than emigration. The organization officially disbanded in 1964. - Identifier
- NJS-ORG-00004
- Bibliographic Citation
- The African-American Mosaic: Colonization. Digital exhibit. Library of Congress
- Hollander, Craig. Princeton and the Colonization Movement. Princeton & Slavery website.
- Source Resource
- https://records.njslavery.org/api/items/3627
- Source Site
- https://records.njslavery.org/s/doc/page/home
- Rights
- Illustration image is in the public domain in the United States of America. Image source: Library of Virginia. Date: March 1840. Description: Rev. Samuel Rose Ely's certificate of membership in the American Colonization Society, signed by the president of the organization Henry Clay.
- Contributor
- Jesse Bayker
- Media
-
LVA-ACS-membership.jpg
Linked resources
Part of American Colonization Society