Excerpt from The African Repository, and Colonial Journal, Vol. 7: October, 1831 The idea of colonizing our free black population is bv no means of re cent date. As early as the year 1777, this interesting topic was brought before the Legislature of Virginia, and a scheme of great benevolence, though different very essentially from the present, was earnestly pressed upon the consideration of that body. It is deeply to be regretted, that the peculiar circumstances of the country at that time, exhausted as it was by its great revolutionary struggle, should have prevented the con summation oi a plan, which was suggested by the benevolence, and warm ly supported by the talents of so great a man as Thomas Jefi'srson. To Virginia, however, at a later and more propitious day, is due the honor of having first given a decided impulse to this interesting subject - and her resolutions, passed in the year 1816 requesting our Executive to correspond with the President of the U. States, for the purpose of obtain ing some spot beyond the limits ofour country, upon which a colony might be suitably planted, followed by similar resolutions from Georgia, Teo nessee and Maryland, have been the corner stone, upon which the Socief ty has been reared, and have given to its plans that wide extended popu larity, which they have so eminently enjoyed for the last sixteen years. 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.