The Expansion of the Colonization Movement in Antebellum Massachusetts

The colonization movement got its inception right after the establishment of the United States; however, it would truly take shape in the 19th century. The American Colonization Society (ACS) would form in the late 1810s, and its growth throughout the nation would see varying levels of success from state-to-state. Scholarship of the colonization movement has often ignored Massachusetts’ impact on the larger movement. While the state would not see much progress in the early years of the movement, Massachusetts would grow into a significant member of the ACS and the movement as whole. Massachusetts often gets ignored in the movement due to other anti-slavery movements such as Abolition and Free-Soil having a strong presence in the state. However, with these oppositions, the leaders of the state movement would lead Massachusetts into becoming an important member of the movement than history has mentione