Linconia
Encyclopedia
Linconia was the name of a proposed Central America
n colony suggested by United States Senator
Samuel Pomeroy of Kansas
in 1862, after U.S. President
Abraham Lincoln
asked the Senator and United States Secretary of the Interior
Caleb Smith
to work on a plan to resettle
African American
s from the United States
.
, a group which spawned in the early 19th century to return former African American slaves back to the continent of Africa
. They helped to establish the colony of Liberia
in 1821. Similar to Linconia, the name of Liberia's capital Monrovia
was derived from the name of the fifth President of the United States James Monroe
.
Lincoln desired to return former slaves to Africa in order to secure jobs for "free white
laborers." He repeated this sentiment at numerous times, including during the American Civil War
.
in Panama
would be an ideal location to start an African-American colony. In August of that year, he invited a group of prominent African-Americans to the White House
to discuss the plan. He stated that the area had "evidence of very rich coal mines...[and] among the finest [harbors] in the world." The delegation reacted negatively to the plan. Later that month, The National Republican published an editorial with the title "The Colony of Linconia," which stated that "the necessary arrangements for founding a colony on a grand scale...have been completed" with the project being headed by Senator Pomeroy. Pomeroy proposed that 100 African-American families travel with him to the site as "pioneers" on October 1. In September, Pomeroy received the permission of the government of the Republic of New Granada
, and landowner Ambrose W. Thompson of the Chiriqui Improvement Company.
However, the Central American nations of Costa Rica
, Nicaragua
and Honduras
felt threatened and informed Washington that they opposed this plan. United States Secretary of State
William H. Seward
informed these nations that no plan would continue without their consent, but Lincoln continued to push the plan forward. By late September, after being advised by Seward of the growing international outrage from the Central American nations, Lincoln decided to abandon the idea, angering Pomeroy who had already found 500 "pioneers."
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
n colony suggested by United States Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Samuel Pomeroy of Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
in 1862, after U.S. President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
asked the Senator and United States Secretary of the Interior
United States Secretary of the Interior
The United States Secretary of the Interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior.The US Department of the Interior should not be confused with the concept of Ministries of the Interior as used in other countries...
Caleb Smith
Caleb Blood Smith
Caleb Blood Smith was an American journalist and politician, serving in the Cabinet of Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War.-Biography:...
to work on a plan to resettle
American Colonization Society
The American Colonization Society , founded in 1816, was the primary vehicle to support the "return" of free African Americans to what was considered greater freedom in Africa. It helped to found the colony of Liberia in 1821–22 as a place for freedmen...
African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
s from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Background
Since his early political career, Abraham Lincoln supported the American Colonization SocietyAmerican Colonization Society
The American Colonization Society , founded in 1816, was the primary vehicle to support the "return" of free African Americans to what was considered greater freedom in Africa. It helped to found the colony of Liberia in 1821–22 as a place for freedmen...
, a group which spawned in the early 19th century to return former African American slaves back to the continent of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. They helped to establish the colony of Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
in 1821. Similar to Linconia, the name of Liberia's capital Monrovia
Monrovia
Monrovia is the capital city of the West African nation of Liberia. Located on the Atlantic Coast at Cape Mesurado, it lies geographically within Montserrado County, but is administered separately...
was derived from the name of the fifth President of the United States James Monroe
James Monroe
James Monroe was the fifth President of the United States . Monroe was the last president who was a Founding Father of the United States, and the last president from the Virginia dynasty and the Republican Generation...
.
Lincoln desired to return former slaves to Africa in order to secure jobs for "free white
White American
White Americans are people of the United States who are considered or consider themselves White. The United States Census Bureau defines White people as those "having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa...
laborers." He repeated this sentiment at numerous times, including during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
The plan
By 1862, Lincoln had decided that Chiriqui ProvinceChiriquí Province
Chiriquí is a province of Panama, it is located on the western coast of Panama, and it is also the second most developed province in the country, after the Panamá Province. Its capital is the city of David. It has a total area of 6,490.9 km², with a population of 416,873 as of the year 2010...
in Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
would be an ideal location to start an African-American colony. In August of that year, he invited a group of prominent African-Americans to the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
to discuss the plan. He stated that the area had "evidence of very rich coal mines...[and] among the finest [harbors] in the world." The delegation reacted negatively to the plan. Later that month, The National Republican published an editorial with the title "The Colony of Linconia," which stated that "the necessary arrangements for founding a colony on a grand scale...have been completed" with the project being headed by Senator Pomeroy. Pomeroy proposed that 100 African-American families travel with him to the site as "pioneers" on October 1. In September, Pomeroy received the permission of the government of the Republic of New Granada
Republic of New Granada
The Republic of New Granada was a centralist republic consisting primarily of present-day Colombia and Panama with smaller portions of today's Ecuador, and Venezuela. It was created after the dissolution in 1830 of Gran Colombia. It was later abolished in 1858 when the Granadine Confederation was...
, and landowner Ambrose W. Thompson of the Chiriqui Improvement Company.
However, the Central American nations of Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
and Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
felt threatened and informed Washington that they opposed this plan. United States Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
William H. Seward
William H. Seward
William Henry Seward, Sr. was the 12th Governor of New York, United States Senator and the United States Secretary of State under Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson...
informed these nations that no plan would continue without their consent, but Lincoln continued to push the plan forward. By late September, after being advised by Seward of the growing international outrage from the Central American nations, Lincoln decided to abandon the idea, angering Pomeroy who had already found 500 "pioneers."