Back To Africa?

About the Book

Thomas Jefferson, in his Notes on Virginia (1781–82), laid out a plan for solving “the Negro problem” that called for the establishment of a foreign colony just for blacks. Although his proposal appealed to many prominent white leaders, including his friend and colleague James Madison, it was not until 1817 that a genuine organizing effort was launched by the American Colonization Society, with Henry Clay in a key role. At the height of its influence, hundreds of chapters of the Society were formed in cities, towns, and states throughout the country. Although a colony was established in what is now called Liberia, it soon became evident that the project would fail; the blacks simply could not be persuaded to go to Africa. Nevertheless, white leaders continued to promote the idea, including Abraham Lincoln, who remained an advocate until the last year of the Civil War. The author documents the commitment of these four prominent leaders—Jefferson, Madison, Clay, and Lincoln—to the colonization idea. He then seeks answers to the inevitable questions: Why did the movement fail? What was the experience of those few blacks who actually settled in the Liberian colony? Why did the advocates of colonization persist in their efforts long after it was evident that the blacks could not be persuaded to go? Why didn’t Jefferson, Madison, and Clay—all slaveholders and all opposed to slavery—do more to free the slaves, including their own? And finally, what persuaded Lincoln, in the end, that it might be possible for blacks and whites to live together in equal freedom?

About the Author

Soon after graduating from St. John’s College, Annapolis, Charles A. Nelson became director of the American Foundation for Political Education, organizing seminars in world politics and American foreign policy in cosponsorship with the University of Chicago and, subsequently, in cooperation with universities, libraries, and foreign policy groups across the country. After leaving Chicago for New York, Nelson began a long career as a consultant to colleges, universities, and other nonprofit institutions. President Gerald R. Ford appointed him to the National Council on Educational Research. Among other trusteeships, he served as chairman of the Executive Council on Foreign Diplomats. He is the author or editor of books on foreign policy, education, management, and business ethics. In retirement, he founded a weekly newspaper in Croton-on-Hudson, New York. He and his wife, Anne, now live in Annapolis.