British West Africa or ‘The United States of Africa’? Imperial Pressures on the Transatlantic Antislavery Movement, 1839-1842

TY - JOUR

T1 - British West Africa or ‘The United States of Africa’? Imperial Pressures on the Transatlantic Antislavery Movement, 1839-1842

AU - Everill, Bronwen

PY - 2011

Y1 - 2011

N2 - This paper investigates the tensions between the American Colonization Society and Thomas Fowell Buxton's African Civilisation Society. Despite their common purpose and the ostensibly humanitarian nature of their organisations, the two societies were never able to work together to pursue their common ends of promoting ‘Civilisation, Commerce, and Christianity’ through settlement in West Africa. The paper explores the nature of the public debate between American Colonization Society Secretary Ralph Gurley and African Civilisation Society founder Buxton, arguing that although anti-colonisation opinions in Britain and America did contribute to the division, the under-examined role of commercial and expansionist rivalries between the colonies of Sierra Leone and Liberia may have contributed substantially to a growth of imperial ambition in both organisations, thus limiting their willingness to cooperate in anti-slavery squadron activities along the coast or fundraising efforts in the metropoles.

AB - This paper investigates the tensions between the American Colonization Society and Thomas Fowell Buxton's African Civilisation Society. Despite their common purpose and the ostensibly humanitarian nature of their organisations, the two societies were never able to work together to pursue their common ends of promoting ‘Civilisation, Commerce, and Christianity’ through settlement in West Africa. The paper explores the nature of the public debate between American Colonization Society Secretary Ralph Gurley and African Civilisation Society founder Buxton, arguing that although anti-colonisation opinions in Britain and America did contribute to the division, the under-examined role of commercial and expansionist rivalries between the colonies of Sierra Leone and Liberia may have contributed substantially to a growth of imperial ambition in both organisations, thus limiting their willingness to cooperate in anti-slavery squadron activities along the coast or fundraising efforts in the metropoles.

U2 - 10.1080/14794012.2011.568165

DO - 10.1080/14794012.2011.568165

M3 - Article

VL - 9

SP - 136

EP - 150

JO - The Journal of Transatlantic Studies

JF - The Journal of Transatlantic Studies

IS - 2

M1 - N/A

ER -