Lincoln's endorsement of black colonization

Lincoln’s early endorsement, and ultimate abandonment, of the policy of colonization for formerly enslaved individuals to the Caribbean and Central America has been the subject of considerable debate.

In this evocative program by historian Brian Mitchell, he will explore Lincoln’s opinions on colonization, his failed colonization experiment, and his ultimate abandonment of colonization as a method of dealing with the issue of African Americans in the United States.

Looking for Lincoln invites the public to watch and participate in this online program on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024 at 7 p.m. on the Looking for Lincoln YouTube and Facebook video channels. Viewers can watch and participate in this free live program. Questions can be submitted by viewers for the host to answer at the end of their presentation.

Brian Keith Mitchell is a native of New Orleans and was formerly an Associate Professor of History at the University of Arkansas Little Rock and an Associate Faculty Member at the Anderson Institute on Race and Ethnicity before leaving in the Spring of 2022. Mitchell currently serves as Director of Research and Interpretation for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. He is the author of numerous papers, book chapters, and books, and is nationally recognized for his public history and digital humanities projects which often explore difficult and forgotten histories. His research has been covered by CNN, Atlas Obscura, the New York Post, the Guardian, National Public Radio, New York Times, Washington Post and the Associated Press.

The program is recorded for viewing after the premier and is available on the Looking for Lincoln Facebook and YouTube video channels.

Reservations are not required, and there is no cost to view the event.

“We are proud to host this series of Looking for Lincoln conservations,” says Sarah Watson, Executive Director of Looking for Lincoln. “These live, digital programs cover a range of topics that depict the life and times of Abraham Lincoln in the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area. Few individuals have so profoundly influenced American History as did Abraham Lincoln. Millions around the world are inspired by the story of Lincoln’s rise from humble beginnings to President of the United States, his qualities of integrity and courage and his decisive leadership traits that carried a fragile nation through one of its most trying periods.”