OHIO IN AFRICA
By EDWARD
WESLEY SHUNK
The fortunes of the American
Colonization Society and its
auxiliaries in Ohio were at an extremely
low ebb in the 1840's, and
the failure of the Constitutional
Convention of 1850-1851 to aid
the cause further depressed its members.
Yet, an amazing spurt
of activity in the 1850's almost turned
the tables. The appoint-
ment of a really competent agent, David
Christy, added to the
collections from Ohio, until the yearly
contributions averaged over
$2,000, with almost a $4,000 collection
in 1851. In addition to
collections Christy did valiant work
lecturing, speaking in the Ohio
State legislature, drawing up memorials
and spreading the doc-
trine of colonization over the whole
State.1
The really clever plan to popularize
colonization, however, was
the development of a portion of northern
Liberia as a special
attraction to Ohio free-negro emigrants;
it was to be known as
"Ohio in Africa."
In April, 1848, it was suggested through
the Cincinnati papers
that an effectual blow might be struck
at the slave trade, and
liberal provision made for the
settlement of a colony of colored
people from Ohio, by purchasing an
additional territory on the
coast of Africa.2
This suggestion was responded to by
Charles McMicken,
Esq., of Cincinnati, by an offer of
sufficient funds to pay for the
necessary amount of land for a colony of
the kind proposed. The
secretary of the society, the Reverend
William McLain, in his
answer to inquiries, on June 24, 1848,
recommended that the pur-
chase be made northwest of Liberia, so
as to include the Gallinas,
and thus "break up the slave trade
in several of its darkest dens."3
President Roberts of Liberia reached the
United States
1 His work appears in most numbers of
the African Repository (Washington),
XXVI, in the 1850's.
2 Ibid., 362.
3 Ibid., 363.
(79)
80
OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
shortly after McMicken's plan had been
announced and gave it his
decided approval. On visiting England,
the president explained
to Lord Palmerston and others the effect
of purchasing territory
and settling intelligent colonists in
Africa; and succeeded in con-
vincing them that it was the most
certain mode of destroying the
slave trade. Samuel Gurney, who was
present, proposed to ex-
tend McMicken's plan so as to include
all the territory between
Sierra Leone and Liberia, and pledged
$5,000 for that object,
being one-half the sum supposed to be
necessary to complete the
purchase. Solomon Sturgis, Esq., of
Putnam, Ohio, had also do-
nated $1,000 towards the purchase of the
Gallinas.4 In a com-
munication dated May 17, 1850, to
Secretary McLain, Roberts an-
nounced that he had completed the
purchase of the Gallinas and
several tracts, including, save a few
small inland sections, the
whole space desired, and that by this
act "the coast of Liberia has
been extended to 700 miles in length,
along the whole course of
which the slave trade was carried on to
a great extent.5
The Reverend McLain notified David
Christy on August
17, 1850, that the purchase had been
made and that McMicken
had remitted to the society $5,000 which
he pledged to pay for
the lands for the Ohio colony. The
portion of the territory pur-
chased with the funds of McMicken was
for the colored people of
Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, because their
proximity to the Ohio River
would enable them to act in concert in
any movement toward
immigration; but it was to take the name
of "Ohio."6
With the consummation of this act, a new
era in African
colonization commenced in Ohio. To give
greater efficiency to the
enterprise, the parent society appointed
a "Committee of Corre-
spondence" for Ohio, who expected
to be called together as soon
as hygienic conditions permitted,7 and
adopt measures for the
promotion of the colonization cause in
the State.8
In the meantime, it was deemed important
to call public at-
tention to this subject, and to urge the
necessity of the adoption
of an efficient system of securing funds
to carry out McMicken's
4 Ibid.
5 Ibid.
6 Ibid.
7 There was a cholera epidemic in Ohio
during the summer of 1850.
8 African Repository, 363.
OHIO IN AFRICA 81
plan of establishing the new colony of
"Ohio in Africa." David
Christy immediately proposed to call the
attention of the churches
to "Ohio in Africa." He
decided, too, that the Constitutional
Convention must be requested to insert a
clause empowering the
legislature to set apart a fund for the
payment of expenses of any
colored persons in the State of Ohio at
the time of the adoption
of the new Constitution, who cared to
move.9 Lastly, he decided
to memorialize the legislature to
appropriate a permanent fund
for the same purpose. The memorial which
Christy sent to the
legislature was a masterpiece of
pleading for aid to the "Ohio in
Africa" plan, and for colonization
in general. He began his re-
quest with the bold statement that a
careful examination of the
census tables, together with a knowledge
of many other facts con-
nected with the subject, proved very
clearly that "the Ohio valley
must soon become the home of a large
proportion of the free
colored people."10 The
ratio of increase of the Negroes when not
affected by emancipation, was two per
cent per annum. This fact
being known it was easy to determine the
extent of the increase
or decrease in any state or group of
states. The six New England
States in 1810 had a free colored
population of 19,488, and in
1840
but 21,279, being an increase of only 1,791, while their nat-
ural increase if retained would have
augmented their numbers
to 31,188. This diminution must have
been caused by emigration
back again towards the South. Between
1830 and 1840 New
York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania had
their free Negro in-
crease reduced to one per cent per
annum. Delaware, Maryland,
Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina
and Georgia, also had
repulsed about one-half of their natural
increase, between 1830
and 1840, proving that the tide from the
New England States
had not flowed in that direction. They
were concentrating in the
Ohio Valley.11
The conclusion was, therefore,
"that the Ohio valley is now
the focus towards which nearly the
entire free colored emigration
of the country is concentrating."12
9
This motion was defeated by a vote of 71 to 26, Convention Debates, II,
58.
10 African Repository, XXV, 69.
11 Ibid., 70.
12 Ibid., 253.
82
OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
Ohio could not legislate against the
condition which sent them
from other states "nor change the
climate, nor roll back the waves
of European immigration," so
Christy suggested that it was un-
wise to urge Negroes into a prolonged
and fruitless war for citi-
zenship in Ohio, particularly since all
the advantages of social,
civil and religious liberty,
"everything for which they are now
pleading in vain is freely offered in
the new Republic of Liberia,
by the united voices of 80,000
freemen."13
He continued on to mention in some
detail the "Ohio in
Africa" purchase, and then said
there were in Ohio a large num-
ber of colored men who expressed a
willingness to emigrate to
Liberia, as soon as they could be
convinced of the truthfulness of
the reports in relation to the
"present prosperity of the Republic
of Liberia." The recognition of its
independence by England and
France was beginning to dispel the
illusion that colonization was
a scheme of the slaveholder.14 The Rev. Findley, a colored
leader of a band of fifty from Indiana,
pledged himself to settle in
"Ohio in Africa" as soon as
the scheme was perfected. The Rev.
Moses Walker, a colored man of Portland,
Jefferson County,
Ohio, who also visited Africa a year
previous had returned and
reported favorably.15 After the
presentation of these facts Christy
asked for a "suitable
appropriation" to aid the American Coloniza-
tion Society for a few years to come, in
carrying out its designs
in relation to the colored people of
Ohio.16
More specific aid, in fact a plan, was
submitted by Christy in
his celebrated "Lecture on African
Colonization," delivered in the
Hall of the House of Representatives,
Columbus, Ohio, on Janu-
ary 19, 1849. The lecture appeared in the Repository as
a pam-
phlet of some fifty-six pages. Its aim,
of course, was to promote
colonization of Negroes in "Ohio in
Africa." It discussed the re-
lation of colonization with the
destruction of the slave trade, and
the successful establishment of Liberia,
the practicability of col-
onizing the free people of color of the
United States, and the bear-
13 Ibid.
14 Ibid., 70.
15 Ibid., 71.
16 Ibid.
OHIO IN AFRICA
83
ings of the enterprise on the natives of
Africa and operations of
Christian missionaries.17
According to Christy, if Ohio were to
pay to the Colonization
Society one dollar for each colored
person in her bounds, it would
amount to only one cent and a half for
each person of the two
millions of her population at that time.
To pay the expenses of
the transportation of her whole 30,000
free colored people at fifty
dollars each--the sum for which the
Colonization Society agreed
to take out emigrants--would cost but seventy-five
cents for each
person.18 But if Ohio could prevent all further emigration into
the State, and would agree to send out
the natural increase only,
which at two per cent would be 600, the
tax would be but one
cent and a half to each citizen in the
State. "Who will say then,"
he asked, "that it is not
practicable to raise this sum in Ohio, on
condition that six hundred persons of
color, annually would vol-
unteer to emigrate?"19
His lecture was quite a success, and
members of both houses
asked for copies to distribute among
their constituents. With his
usual good strategy, Christy then
introduced another memorial to
the legislature which was signed by
members of the Methodist
Conference, the Presbyterian synods, and
the Baptist Conven-
tion.20
It pointed to the excellent example of
Liberia, and the fact
that the good work could not be carried
on without help from the
states and Federal Government. The
petition asked for an ap-
propriation of $5,000 a year for
ten years. This sum although
it would be less than one and
one-quarter mills to the $100 of
valuation of taxable property of the
State, and only two and
one-half mills to each of its
inhabitants, would send out one
hundred emigrants annually.21
The African Repository soon after
stated with satisfaction:
We have received assurances from
Columbus that the bill will pass
which has already been reported, making
an appropriation of $600 to
defray the expenses of an exploring
committee of colored people of
17 Ibid., 325.
18 Ibid., 346.
19 Ibid., 23.
20 Ibid., 323.
21 Ibid.
84
OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
that State. The bill also makes an
appropriation of twenty-five dollars
each for any number of emigrants not
exceeding fifty a year, who shall
go from Ohio to Liberia.22
It was regretted that they did not fix
the amount to be paid
for each immigrant at fifty dollars.
But the society was doomed to
disappointment even on the
small appropriation. In his report on
the progress of the legis-
lation, David Christy said that the lateness
of the period at which
operation commenced, owing to the
prevalence of the cholera
during the summer, and the want of
systematic organization, pre-
vented such a full expression of the
public will as was desirable.
"The State is much in debt . . .
public improvements . . . a
new and costly State edifice command
large appropriations."23
Then, too, members felt unprepared to
vote in favor of aid to
send Negroes from other states. The
Judiciary Committee of the
senate declined to report favorably
because of financial embarrass-
ments.24
Representative Gilman in the lower house
introduced the
memorial to Congress for recognition of
Liberia which passed
51 to 14. Representative Bull amended
the bill by a clause for
"inducing the free blacks of Ohio
to emigrate to that country"
which passed 50 to 15.25 As this last
proposition covered the
broad question of approval of the whole
colonization scheme, the
very large majority by which it was
carried was conclusive of the
sentiments of the members on this
subject. These resolutions
were agreed to in the senate without
division.26
The appropriation bill was introduced by
Legislator Randall
in the senate and adopted but was not
reached by the house in
time to pass it before adjournment. In
the meantime a group of
colored men in Cincinnati held a meeting
and passed resolutions
in favor of settling a new colony in
"Ohio in Africa." The Com-
mittee of Correspondence for Ohio,
hearing of this action, called
a meeting on November 7, 1850, and Casey,
Clarke and Minor,
all colored men, told the meeting of
their organization of the
22 Ibid., XXVI,
125.
23 Ibid., 166.
24 Ibid.
25 Ibid.
26 Ibid.
OHIO IN AFRICA 85
"Liberia League" for free
Negroes in Ohio.27 The
committee
voted to aid them. These resolutions were published in the
appendix to Christy's lecture which had
distribution in 2,100 homes.
The members of the legislature favored
the scheme of these
Cincinnati Negroes and Gilman in the
house introduced the bill
granting $600 for exploration and $25
per head for emigrants in
the next five years. It passed the house
by a considerable ma-
jority, but met some opposition on
grounds of the impolicy of
granting state aid to benevolent
societies.28
The bill reached the senate within a few
days of adjourn-
ment. Opposition in the senate was
similar to that in the house.
Efforts made to suspend the rules and
put it ahead of other bills
revealed a majority of six in favor; no
other efforts were made
to hurry it. This was a mistake for the
members began to obtain
leaves of absence two days before
adjournment and friends of
the bill left. Christy then began fierce
lobbying activities to pre-
vent defeat. But it was in vain, for the
bill was not reached till
the last hours of the session, when no
quorum being present, all
measures had to have common consent. The
opposition was
maintained to the bitter end, and its
friends had to allow its post-
ponement until the next session.29
The next session did nothing, and all
subsequent legislatures
sent similar bills from committee to
committee where they were
killed without ever coming to a vote.
New Jersey, Pennsylvania,
Indiana and Maryland all extended
appropriations for their free
persons of color, but none came from
Ohio, the citadel of aboli-
tion.30
Local colonization groups weakened, and
in 1853 there was a
significant resolution passed by the
Zanesville and Putnam County
Auxiliary Society: "Whereas a
'Committee of Correspondence',
some three years ago, was organized for
this State (of which one
of our number was one) from whom we have
not heard since its
organization, (if indeed it has ever
been organized,) that our
Secretary make inquiries of the
Secretary of the Parent Society
27 Ibid., XXVII,
21.
28 Ibid., XXVI,
167.
29 Ibid., 168.
30 Ibid., XXVIII, 195.
86
OHIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
on the subject." It was further
suggested that a State Society
should be formed in Zanesville, Xenia,
or some other place where
friends could be found of sufficient
ardor to keep it alive.31
Good news came to Ohio when the Repository
announced that
the Liberian government schooner, Lark,
R. Cooper, Esq., com-
manding, had sailed on January 12, 1850, for Cape
Mount, Sug-
aree, Manna and Gallinas, with General
Lewis on board, com-
missioned to close the negotiations for
the purchase of the Gallinas
territory--the political jurisdiction of
which was already ceded to
the government of Liberia.32
This news was darkened by the tribal
wars which were rag-
ing in this frontier territory. Prince
George Cain was violating
his obligations with the Liberian
government, and Prince Manna
of the Gallinas was supplying slavers
with their cargoes. A fierce
war among the Veys, Golahs and Boosas,
all located in "Ohio in
Africa" territory had to be stopped
by a show of force from the
Liberian government.33
On January 4, 1851, President Roberts
wrote to Rev. McLain
that he had succeeded in terminating the
wars, and had discharged
funds amounting to $2,650 to native
chiefs for the territories of
Grand Cape Mount, Sugaree, Manna River
and Soloma. There
was only a small strip on the Shebar
River to purchase to com-
plete the business. "As yet we have
received from Mr. Gurney
only 500," his letter stated.
"The remaining 500 he informed
me, shall be paid when we shall have
purchased the whole coast
according to his original
agreement."34
The mere purchase of the land did not
insure a settlement,
however, as the ten Ohio emigrants who
went to Liberia from
1851 to 1860 all settled in the more
populous old counties of Bassa,
Mesurado, and Sinou, and the Cape Mount
and Gallinas site of
"Ohio in Africa" remained for
years wild frontier territory under
the warring influences of natives and
slavers.35 When this terri-
tory was settled it was by natives of
Liberia, and not by Ohio
emigrants.
31 Ibid., XXX, 25.
32 Ibid., XXVII,
5.
33 Ibid., XXX, 91.
34 Ibid., XXVII, 98.
35 Ibid., XXX, 91.
OHIO IN AFRICA 87
The State legislature failed to
appropriate money for the
colonization scheme, but it did pass a
resolution directing Ohio
members of Congress to support Edward M.
Stanly's bill, which
provided for the payment to the several
states of the "fourth in-
stallment of the public moneys directed
to be made with said
States by the act approved June 23,
1836." This would have pro-
vided funds for colonizing the free
colored people of each state
and would have amounted to $468,360.75
annually for all the
states.36
The most threatening influence on the
"Ohio in Africa" plan
was the continuous heckling done by the
abolitionists who every-
where attended colored people's meetings
and advised them to
"stay home" and fight for
their rights. The colonization move-
ment was condemned as unjust and
inhumane. A greater argu-
ment was built around the statements in
a recent book, Dahomey
and the Dahomans, by Commander Forbes of the Royal Navy in
which he said that Liberians engaged in
the "buying and selling
of God's image" at Cape Mount.37 President Roberts of Liberia
immediately protested, and refuted
Forbes' statements, but the
harm was done. What Ohio Negro would
migrate to Cape Mount
even under the suspicion of such
conditions!
Another blow to the cause was the death
of the founder of
"Ohio in Africa," Charles
McMicken, in 1858. Jacob Burnet, a
lifelong member of the society, and
supporter of "Ohio in Africa"
had already passed away April 27, 1853.38
Friends of colonization
were dwindling in number.
Probably the most important reason for
the failure of "Ohio
in Africa" was expressed in a
letter to Secretary McLain by the
agent in Ohio, Rev. E. G. Nicholson of
Hamilton, October 14,
1858:
I hoped to secure some good colored
people from Ohio for the
November Expedition, and for this
purpose have visited the African
camps in Brown County, Guiana in Belmont
County, and the colored
people about Boston in Highland County.
They are ill at ease. Their
condition is almost one of hopeless
depression. To most of them the
idea of colonization is repugnant.39
36 Ibid.
37 Ibid., XXVIII,
11.
38 Ibid., XXX, 3.
39 Ibid., XXXIV,
347.
88 OHIO
ARCHEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
The Negroes were unwilling to go, and
since there were no
compulsory emigration laws in Ohio, the
colonizationists had to
accept defeat, and "Ohio in
Africa" became a mere dream of
what "might have been."
OHIO IN AFRICA
By EDWARD
WESLEY SHUNK
The fortunes of the American
Colonization Society and its
auxiliaries in Ohio were at an extremely
low ebb in the 1840's, and
the failure of the Constitutional
Convention of 1850-1851 to aid
the cause further depressed its members.
Yet, an amazing spurt
of activity in the 1850's almost turned
the tables. The appoint-
ment of a really competent agent, David
Christy, added to the
collections from Ohio, until the yearly
contributions averaged over
$2,000, with almost a $4,000 collection
in 1851. In addition to
collections Christy did valiant work
lecturing, speaking in the Ohio
State legislature, drawing up memorials
and spreading the doc-
trine of colonization over the whole
State.1
The really clever plan to popularize
colonization, however, was
the development of a portion of northern
Liberia as a special
attraction to Ohio free-negro emigrants;
it was to be known as
"Ohio in Africa."
In April, 1848, it was suggested through
the Cincinnati papers
that an effectual blow might be struck
at the slave trade, and
liberal provision made for the
settlement of a colony of colored
people from Ohio, by purchasing an
additional territory on the
coast of Africa.2
This suggestion was responded to by
Charles McMicken,
Esq., of Cincinnati, by an offer of
sufficient funds to pay for the
necessary amount of land for a colony of
the kind proposed. The
secretary of the society, the Reverend
William McLain, in his
answer to inquiries, on June 24, 1848,
recommended that the pur-
chase be made northwest of Liberia, so
as to include the Gallinas,
and thus "break up the slave trade
in several of its darkest dens."3
President Roberts of Liberia reached the
United States
1 His work appears in most numbers of
the African Repository (Washington),
XXVI, in the 1850's.
2 Ibid., 362.
3 Ibid., 363.
(79)