THE POSTBELLUM SOUTHERN CONVENTIONS MOVEMENT AND EMIGRATION DEBATE

Many antebellum Colored Conventions dealt with the question of emigration, as delegates frequently walked a fine line between demanding their rightful place in American society and seeking an escape from the increasingly oppressive restrictions of the 1840s and 1850s. Many conventions and Black leaders condemned the exploitative and racist efforts of the American Colonization Society to settle African Americans in Liberia. Some offered support and encouragement to individuals who expressed a sense of agency and self-determinism by making new homes for themselves in Canada, Haiti, Liberia, and other destinations. Prominent African Americans such as Martin Delany and Mary Ann Shadd Cary were strong proponents of emigration. Though Shadd Cary immigrated to Canada, she eventually moved with her family back to the United States during the Civil War. 

Recognizing the antecedents of postbellum debates is a necessary precursor to understanding the attitudes that southern convention attendees expressed about emigration after the Civil War.