American Colonization Society

The American Colonization Society (ACS), founded in 1816, aimed to resettle free African Americans in Africa, specifically in the colony of Liberia. The organization believed this would provide them with better opportunities and help address racial tensions in the United States. While some viewed the ACS as a humanitarian effort, others criticized it for promoting the idea that Black Americans did not belong in the U.S. The society successfully established Liberia in 1822, and it eventually became an independent nation in 1847, but the ACS's legacy is mixed, reflecting both goals of freedom and underlying racial prejudices.