Thoughts on African Colonization

William Lloyd Garrison

Thoughts on African Colonization by William Lloyd Garrison is a scathing and foundational critique of the American Colonization Society (ACS), written in 1832 by one of the most uncompromising voices in the American abolitionist movement. This book marks a decisive ideological break from moderate reformers and lays the groundwork for the radical abolitionist platform that would soon come to define antebellum antislavery advocacy. In Part I, Garrison dissects the foundational tenets of the American Colonization Society across ten methodically argued sections. He exposes how the ACS, rather than opposing slavery, protects, legitimizes, and perpetuates it by promoting the removal of free Blacks to Africa under the guise of philanthropy. Garrison reveals the Society's deep-seated racism, its rejection of equal citizenship for Black Americans, and its ultimate goal: the expulsion of African Americans from the country to preserve white supremacy. Each section is supported by footnotes and documentation that quote directly from ACS literature and speeches, providing irrefutable evidence of the Society's betrayal of justice and human rights. Garrison argues that the Society: Refuses to condemn slavery Recognizes slaves as property Increases the economic value of slaves Denies the upliftment of free Blacks within the U.S. Deliberately misleads the public and disguises its racist motives Part II features an unprecedented collection of public statements from African American communities across the United States—"A Voice from…" sections representing cities such as Philadelphia, Boston, New York, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and more. These eloquent and resolute declarations show the widespread opposition to colonization among free Black Americans, many of whom viewed the movement as an effort to exile them from their rightful home. The book culminates in a defiant and prophetic conclusion: that the true path to justice lies not in exile, but in immediate emancipation, full citizenship, and racial equality. Garrison's Thoughts on African Colonization is not just a political pamphlet—it is a clarion call for moral clarity, truth, and an unwavering stand against the evil of slavery. It profoundly influenced the formation of the American Anti-Slavery Society and reshaped the national discourse on abolition.

Table of contents

• PREFACE.
• PART 1. INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.
• SECTION 1. THE AMERICAN COLONIZATION SOCIETY IS PLEDGED NOT TO OPPOSE THE SYSTEM OF SLAVERY.
• SECTION 2. THE AMERICAN COLONIZATION SOCIETY APOLOGISES FOR SLAVERY AND SLAVEHOLDERS.
• SECTION 3. THE AMERICAN COLONIZATION SOCIETY RECOGNISES SLAVES AS PROPERTY.
• SECTION 4. THE AMERICAN COLONIZATION SOCIETY INCREASES THE VALUE OF SLAVES.
• SECTION 5. THE AMERICAN COLONIZATION SOCIETY IS THE ENEMY OF IMMEDIATE ABOLITION.
• SECTION 6. THE AMERICAN COLONIZATION SOCIETY IS NOURISHED BY FEAR AND SELFISHNESS.
• SECTION 7. THE AMERICAN COLONIZATION SOCIETY AIMS AT THE UTTER EXPULSION OF THE BLACKS.
• SECTION 8. THE AMERICAN COLONIZATION SOCIETY IS THE DISPARAGER OF THE FREE BLACKS.
• SECTION 9. THE AMERICAN COLONIZATION SOCIETY DENIES THE POSSIBILITY OF ELEVATING THE BLACKS IN THIS COUNTRY.
• SECTION 10. THE AMERICAN COLONIZATION SOCIETY DECEIVES AND MISLEADS THE NATION.
• PART II. SENTIMENTS OF THE PEOPLE OF COLOR.
• FOOTNOTES: