Colonization Rooms, Washington City, June 14, 1849. Dear Sir: – You are aware of the importance of having the Independence of Liberia acknowledged by the United States Government.
Washington, D.C: June 14, 1849.
Price: $850.00
About the item
1p. printed circular letter. Signed by William McLain and addressed in his hand to William Bostwick. 4to. Minor chipping at sheet edges.
Item #368708
The American Colonization Society advocated as early as 1816 the voluntary migration of free people of color from the United States to western Africa, with approixmately 4500 emigrants over the ensuing quarter century. The African-American community and the abolitionist movement overwhelmingly opposed the project, arguing that the motivations of the ACS were inherently rascist and that many of the emigrants were pressured to leave the U.S. Conditions in Liberia were harsh, with very high mortality rates.
In 1847, a group of African American, Afro-Caribbean, and liberated Africans proclaimed their independence, becoming the first African country to do so. The present circular letter by the Secretary of the American Colonization Society advocates for the U.S. to recognize the newly-independent Liberia so that commercial treaties could be negotiated. The U.S., however, would not formally recognize Liberia until 1862.
The present circular letter sent to William Bostwick, a cotton merchant of Augusta, Georgia, and New Haven, Connecticut.
