Autographs
Extremely Rare "James Madison Presid.t" Signed Fully Issued American Colonization Society Certificate certifying Reverand Jonathan Craine as a Member
JAMES MADISON (1751-1836). 4th President of the United States (1809"1817), hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for being instrumental in the Drafting of the United States Constitution and as the Key Champion and Author of the United States Bill of Rights. He served as a Politician much of his adult life. A Virginia Statesmen and President of the Slave "Colonization Society," he was a Slaveholder at his inherited plantation known as Montpelier, and owned Hundreds of Slaves during his lifetime to cultivate tobacco and other crops.
Important Partly-Printed Black History related Engraved Document Signed, "James Madison Presid.t" as President of the American Colonization Society (ACS), measuring 8" x 10", no date, Washington, Extremely Fine. United States President James Madison served as the 3rd President of the Society, elected as the third president of the organization in 1833 and served until his death in 1836.
This historic American Colonization Society Certificate certifying Reverend Jonathan Craine as a member. Jonathan Townley Crane (1819-1880) was an American Clergyman, Author and Abolitionist, born in Connecticut Farms, in Union Township, New Jersey. Reverend Crane is most widely known as the father of the famous writer Stephen Crane. He also founded a school in Port Jervis to serve the African American population; one of his daughters taught there for several years. This Certificate also Countersigned by "RR Gurley" as Secretary. In December 1821, the ACS purchased land along the West African coast for settlement and created the colony of Montserado, later known as Liberia. The capital in the colony was later named "Monrovia" in honor of President James Monroe, an ardent supporter of the ACS. Whereas most other signed certificates bear his name, this example is fully signed "James Madison Presid.t" of the organization.
American Colonization Society (ACS):
As word of enslaved-led insurrections around the globe began to spread, enslavers and other leaders attempted to control the free Black population with new restrictions and codes. The restrictions also led many white leaders to consider colonization to rid the U.S. of free Black people.
Through colonization, the free Black population would be settled in their own nation, eliminating the group of people deemed an imminent threat to the institution of slavery.
A few proponents of colonization initially suggested the creation of a colony for Black people west of the Mississippi or the West Indies. But after Paul Cuffe, a mixed race Quaker, ship builder, and activist, made a successful, self-financed trip with thirty-eight Black people to Sierra Leone for the purpose of settling other free Black people in 1815, other supporters of colonization deemed the western coast of Africa the ideal location for a new colony.
The perceived success of Cuffe's voyage, along with the desire to remove free Black people from the United States altogether, served as the inspiration for the American Colonization Society.
Originally known as the American Society for Colonizing the Free People of Color of the United States, the American Colonization Society (ACS) was founded in 1816 by a group of white elites including Reverend Robert Finley, Charles Fenton Mercer, Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, Bushrod Washington, Elias Caldwell, and Francis Scott Key.
Formed to assist in the colonization and removal of free Black people, the ACS quickly recruited support and financial backing from enslavers, the Protestant and Presbyterian churches, and others, including the federal government officials.
While the ACS had been founded with primarily proslavery motivations, the origins of the organization also suggest a commitment, albeit loose, to abolitionist beliefs. As a result, the members of ACS were an unusual mix of abolitionists and enslavers"two groups that typically opposed each other.
While they had very different primary goals, they agreed that free Black people would never be accepted as equals in the United States. Abolitionist-leaning members believed it was an opportunity for African Americans to escape racism, start their lives anew, and form their own nation where they could enjoy liberation and citizenship. It also removed the challenges integration would place on white people. Pro-slavery supporters considered it a means to remove those who might threaten slavery.
Colonization was considered a somewhat progressive measure for the time, receiving support from people on both sides of the debate over slavery and abolition. While members had many motivations for joining the ACS and different opinions on the issue of slavery, the underlying belief that whites and Black people could not peacefully co-exist in society held this unorthodox group together for decades.
As the ACS grew, the organization sought to create and settle a colony in West Africa to fulfill its mission. In early 1820, the first group of emigrants, numbering around eighty-six people, set sail for West Africa. Because many of the emigrants fell ill with "African fever" and the rainy season impacted travel to the coast, this trip was not as successful as supporters hoped. To avoid a repeat of these issues, the ACS and its agents decided to send future groups during a different time of year.
In 1821, the next group of emigrants and ACS agents traveled to West Africa, stopping in Sierra Leone to search for a suitable colony to purchase and settle. In December 1821, the ACS purchased land along the West African coast for settlement and created the colony of Montserado, later known as Liberia. The capital in the colony was later named "Monrovia" in honor of President James Monroe, an ardent supporter of the ACS.
President Madison was also a strong supporter of the ACS. He was elected the third president of the organization in 1833 and served until his death in 1836.
President Madison, like President Jefferson, was an early advocate for colonization and developed his own ideas about how the process should work. In an 1819 letter, President Madison stated, "the freed blacks ought to be permanently removed beyond the region occupied by or allotted to a White population," a belief held by some of his peers of that period.
President Madison also argued for emancipation to be gradual and equitable to all involved, even stating that "the consent of both the Master & the slave should be obtained."
Although President Madison supported colonization and disagreed with the practice of slavery, he never emancipated his enslaved laborers during his lifetime or after his death, nor did he offer them the opportunity to emigrate to Liberia.
While President Madison was not an outspoken supporter of the ACS until after his presidency, he provided significant financial support. Upon his death, he willed his enslaved laborers to his wife, Dolley, and left $2,000 to the ACS. The money for the ACS was to come from the selling of his papers, also left to Dolley Madison, which the federal government ended up publishing after debating the government's affiliation with the ACS.
While President Madison never participated in the colonization process because he did not want to send free Black people to Liberia without their consent, he bequeathed considerable financial support for the ACS so the organization could continue its work.