American Colonization Society
Published: 2016-12-26
Total Pages: 38
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Excerpt from The African Repository, and Colonial Journal, Vol. 12: February, 1836 Among the objections which have been made, I must confess that I am most sur prised at one which seems to be prevalent, to wit, that these people will be unwill ing to be colonized. What, Sir, are they not men? Will they not be actuated by the same motives of interest and ambition, which influence other men? Or will they prefer remaining in a hopeless slate of degradation for themselves and their children, to the prospect of the full enjoyment of civil rights and a state of equality? What broughtour ancestors to these sl ores? They had no friendly band to lead them; no powerful human arm to protect them. They left the land ofthcir nativity; the sepulchres of their fathers; the comforts ofcivilizcd society; and all the endearments of friends and relatives, and early associations, to traverse the ocean, to clear the forests, to encounter all the hardships of a new settlement, and to brave the dangers of the tomahawk and scalping knife. How many were de stroyed! Sometimes whole settlements cut otf by disease and hunger - by the treachery and cruelty ofthe savages; yet, were they not discouraged. What is it impels many Europeans daily to seek our shores, and to sell themselves for the prime of their life to defray the expense of their passages? It is that ruling, im perious desire, planted in the breast cfei ery man; the dcsireof liberty, of standing upon an equality with his fellow men. If we were to add to these motives, the offer ofland, and to aid in the ex; ease of emi-zration, and of first settling, they' cannot be so blind to their own interest, so dctoi'j of every noble and generous feeling, as to hesitate about accepting of the ott'er. It is not a matter of s; ecula tion and Opinion only. It has been satisfactorily ascertained, that numbers 'ill gladly accept of the invitation. And when once the colony is formed, and flour ishing, all other obstacles will be easily removed. It is for us to make the expe riment and the offer - we shall then, and not till then, have discharged our duty. It is a plan in which all interests, all classes and descriptions of people may unite - in which ali discordant feelings may be lost in those ofhurnauity - ia promoting peace on earth and gool will to men. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.