-
Chapter 2: American Freedmen, British Labor
- University of Missouri Press
- Chapter
- Additional Information
13 In the summer of 1862 Abraham Lincoln approached James Mitchell, his newly appointed commissioner of emigration, with the task of administering the recently appropriated colonization fund.1 The two men were old acquaintances from a prior era of midwestern colonization politics, set to embark on the second decade of their professional relationship. Mitchell was the scion of a feisty Protestant family from Londonderry, Ireland. He immigrated to the United States by way of Philadelphia in 1837, took up the cloth of the Methodist Episcopal church, and became an antislavery preacher in Indiana, advocating “gradual emancipation and colonization” in the mold of Henry Clay. An 1848 foray into the political realm landed him a position as secretary of the American Colonization Society for Indiana, where he shepherded a procolonization referendum into the state’s constitution in 1852.2 Lincoln’s emigration agent was something of a paradox, astute as he was stubborn and prone to both brilliance and obstinacy. A consummate colonizationist driven by a genuine conviction that he was working for the betterment of African Americans, he was also a curiosity in a movement sometimes known for its inseparable blending of economic motives into its claimed moral calling. An antislavery Democrat, a racial separatist who befriended and employed African Americans, and a clergyman immersed in a world of business contracts and diplomacy, Mitchell charted an unlikely career before ending not far from his origin, a small rural church differing only by state. He was a British-educated gentleman in a world apart, riding the Methodist circuit on the American frontier for most of his life. He spent almost three decades in the company of the leading politicians and statesmen of the day, both infuriating his adversaries and endearing himself to the political allies that he had a knack for finding. It is not difficult to see why Lincoln hit it off with a man possessing such an unusual combination of quirk and fervor. Illinois’ favorite son often preferred the rougher Chapter 2 American Freedmen, British Labor 14 Colonization after Emancipation edges of frontier politicking to the procedural stuffiness and decorum of Washington, and Mitchell certainly had little patience for procedure. The two first crossed paths in July 1853 when Mitchell visited Springfield, seeking to expand his colonization work further west. When he inquired for assistance to “aid me in my work in Illinois as Joseph A. Wright had aided me in his State,” a local minister directed him to “an attorney named Abraham Lincoln.” As Mitchell recounted: We proceeded to the public square of the town and as we leisurely walked forward along its best-built side Mr. Dodge pointed out a gentleman seated on a dry goods box five or six doors ahead of us, saying as he did so: “There sits Mr. Lincoln.” My friend had previously eulogized the attorney very highly, yet when I saw his great, gaunt and angular figure, loosely if not carelessly dressed, I was not favorably impressed and said to myself: ‘If that is Illinois’ great man, Illinois is not much.’3 A subsequent introduction quickly shattered Mitchell’s preconception though, and upon finding their views in agreement the two men parted as friends. The following Sunday Rev. Mitchell gave a brief colonization sermon at Springfield’s First Presbyterian Church, which the Lincoln family sometimes attended. Upon the talk’s conclusion Lincoln handed Mitchell a three-dollar contribution to purchase an ACS membership for the church’s pastor, Rev. James A. Smith.4 They remained in contact until Lincoln’s election to the presidency, and in 1861 Lincoln recommended Mitchell for a political appointment. “James Mitchell,” he informed William Seward, “I know and like. He was, for years, colonization agent, for Indiana.”5 Mitchell’s original appointment documents have been lost, but he joined the Lincoln administration before Congress officially sanctioned colonization, perhaps as early as December 1861. On August 4, 1862, Mitchell received what he described as an “amended commission” from the president to administer the newly created colonization fund.6 The subject of entering into a colonization partnership with Great Britain was first presented to Lincoln by Mitchell in July 1862. The minister broached the idea of soliciting support from British Caribbean colonies, as he regarded Britain to be the “next best friend of the negro race.” He ascribed a strong endorsement to the president, who was reported to have exclaimed, “If England wants our negroes, and will do better by them than we can, I say let her have...