Lincoln meets African-American leaders on colonization

Background. Lincoln supported colonization programs, specifically those of Francis Preston Blair, which rejected Liberia in favor of closer destinations in the American tropics. In his first annual message to Congress in December 1861, Lincoln advised providing for the colonization of free African Americans, even if it required acquiring further territory. This context frames his August 1862 meeting.

The Meeting. On August 14, 1862, Lincoln became the first U.S. president to invite a group of African Americans to the White House. He lectured five well-educated members of Washington's black elite, telling them, "But for your race among us there could not be war." Frederick Douglass responded critically in his monthly publication.

Colonization Context. Lincoln's broader colonization efforts included the Chiriquí project, which he suspended in early October 1862 before a single ship had sailed, and a hoped-for treaty with Colombia for African American emigration that he outlined in his second annual message. He shelved the Chiriquí project over the New Year of 1863. These developments form background context surrounding the August 1862 meeting rather than claims about the meeting itself.