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1434- A portaguse [sic] captain, on the coast of Guinea, seizes a few Affrican lads, and sells them in the South of Spain.
1501-2-3. Slaves are carried from Africa to the Spanish colonies in America.
1516-17 Charles 5th. of Spain gives encouragement to the African Slave trade.
1562- John Hawkins carries slaves to the British West Indies.
1620 A dut[c]h ship carries a cargo of African slaves to Virginia.
1626- Slaves introduced into New-York.
1630 to 41. Slaves introduced into Massachusetts.
1776. The period of our revolution, there were about 600-000 slaves in the colonies; and there are now in the U.S. about 31/4 millions.
Soto, the catholic confessor of Charles 5. opposed Slavery and the Slave trade from the beginning; and, in 1543, procured from the King some amelioration of its rigors.
The American colonies, from the beginning, appealed to the British crown, against the Slave trade; but without success.
1727- Quakers begin to agitate for the abolition of Slavery within their own denomination
1751- Quakers succeed in abolishing Slavery within their own denomination.
1787- Congress, under the confederation, passes an Ordinance forbidding Slavery to go to the North Western Teritory.
1808- Congress, under the constitution, abolishes the Slave trade, and declares it piracy.
1776. to 1800- Slavery abolished in all the States North of Maryland and Virginia.
All the while- Individual conscience at work.
1816- Colonization Society is organized---it's direct object---history---and present prospects of success. Its colateral objects---Suppression of Slave trade---commerce---civilization and religion.
Objects of this meeting.2Jump to section
[1] AD, DLC-RTL. The date of this manuscript is derived from the fact that Lincoln addressed the Colonization Society on January 4, 1855. He had been announced as speaker the year before, on January 12, 1854, but was prevented by illness in his family (Journal, January 14, 1854). Also, on August 30, 1853, he had spoken to the society. Although the outline might conceivably have been prepared for one of the earlier occasions, it seems in appearance to belong to the period of the Resolutions Recommending Amendment of the Kansas-Nebraska Act (infra). The date [1849] assigned to the manuscript in the RTL collection cannot be supported. There is no published report of the meeting so far as can be determined.
[2] The fact that the outline appears in the RTL collection between draft one and draft two of the resolutions (infra), suggests that the purpose of the meeting may have been to adopt the resolutions and recommend their adoption by the General Assembly.