Maryland State Colonization Society

Founded in 1817 as an auxiliary of the Washington-based American Colonization Society, the Maryland State Colonization Society's primary functions were to gather funds for the parent society and to recruit colonists for the American Society's settlement, Liberia, founded on the West African coast in 1822. Ten years later, the Maryland Society decided to chart a course independent of the American Society by founding a separate colony for Maryland's free blacks, called "Maryland in Liberia." Conflicts between the colony and native tribes forced the union of Maryland in Liberia with the Republic of Liberia in 1857. The Maryland State Colonization Society ceased active colonization efforts in 1863 and disbanded in 1902.

From the description of Maryland State Colonization Society papers, 1827-1894 (inclusive), [microform]. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 145079384