African Institution
Encyclopedia
The African Institution in 1807 after Britain abolitionists succeeded in ending slavery in Great Britain. The Institution was formed to succeed where the former Sierra Leone Company
had failed - to create a viable, civilized refuge for freed slaves in Sierra Leone
, Africa
. The nephew of King George III, the Duke of Gloucester
, acted as the African Institution's first president, and was joined by many notable clergymen and aristocrats. Where the Sierra Leone Company sought first to convert the native population through evangelism
, the African Institution aimed to improve the standard of living in Freetown first.
The black merchants of Freetown
, Sierra Leone
, were prevented from getting ahead, though, by the tight monopoly which the British merchant company Macauley & Babington held over the Sierra Leone trade. On Sunday, April 7, 1811, American black entrepreneur Paul Cuffe
met with the foremost black merchants of the colony, including the successful John Kizell. They penned a petition for the African Institution delineating that the colony's greatest needs were for settlers to work in agriculture, merchanting and the whaling industry, that these three areas would facilitate growth for the colony best. Upon receiving this petition, the members of the Institution agreed with their findings. Cuffee and these African merchants together founded the Friendly Society of Sierra Leone as a local mutual-aid merchant group dedicated to furthering prosperity and industry among the free peoples in the colony and loosening the stranglehold that the English merchants held on trade.
Sierra Leone Company
The Sierra Leone Company was the corporate body involved in founding the second British colony in Africa in 1792 through the resettlement of black American ex-slaves who had initially been settled in Nova Scotia after the American Revolutionary War...
had failed - to create a viable, civilized refuge for freed slaves in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
, 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...
. The nephew of King George III, the Duke of Gloucester
Duke of Gloucester
Duke of Gloucester is a British royal title , often conferred on one of the sons of the reigning monarch. The first four creations were in the Peerage of England, the next in the Peerage of Great Britain, and the last in the Peerage of the United Kingdom; this current creation carries with it the...
, acted as the African Institution's first president, and was joined by many notable clergymen and aristocrats. Where the Sierra Leone Company sought first to convert the native population through evangelism
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
, the African Institution aimed to improve the standard of living in Freetown first.
The black merchants of Freetown
Freetown
Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone, a country in West Africa. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean located in the Western Area of the country, and had a city proper population of 772,873 at the 2004 census. The city is the economic, financial, and cultural center of...
, Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
, were prevented from getting ahead, though, by the tight monopoly which the British merchant company Macauley & Babington held over the Sierra Leone trade. On Sunday, April 7, 1811, American black entrepreneur Paul Cuffe
Paul Cuffe
Paul Cuffee was a Quaker businessman, Sea Captain, patriot, and abolitionist. He was of Aquinnah Wampanoag and African Ashanti descent and helped colonize Sierra Leone...
met with the foremost black merchants of the colony, including the successful John Kizell. They penned a petition for the African Institution delineating that the colony's greatest needs were for settlers to work in agriculture, merchanting and the whaling industry, that these three areas would facilitate growth for the colony best. Upon receiving this petition, the members of the Institution agreed with their findings. Cuffee and these African merchants together founded the Friendly Society of Sierra Leone as a local mutual-aid merchant group dedicated to furthering prosperity and industry among the free peoples in the colony and loosening the stranglehold that the English merchants held on trade.