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Black History and Blacks in U.S. History
A Nation Divided
(1840-1861)

The American Colonization Society

The American Colonization Society
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 4 to 5
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   6.82

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    abolitionists, assistance, educational, emigrate, middle-class, non-white, resold, organization, revolution, slavery, compromise, provided, mischief, solution, england, founded
     content words:    Other British, United States, Revolutionary War, Several Americans, Robert Finley, American Colonization Society, In January, New York, Sierra Leone, Colonization Society

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The American Colonization Society
By Jane Runyon 		  
1     The first slaves were brought to the American colonies in the 1600's. British merchants made money kidnapping Africans. They shipped them to the Caribbean. Other British merchants bought the slaves in the Caribbean. Then they resold them in the colonies. The slaves worked as house servants. They also worked as farm laborers.
 
2     Farmers in the southern colonies found the need for more slaves. They grew cotton. Cotton was a hard crop to harvest. It had to be picked by hand. The plantations grew larger. The need for laborers grew also. Plantation owners wanted the work to be done for as little money as possible.
 
3     Abolitionists were people who wanted to do away with slavery. They felt that slaves were being mistreated. They wanted slaves to have their freedom. But they worried about the slaves. Would they be able to live in a white society?
 
4     Slave owners felt differently. Slaves were their property. Fear arose that slaves might rebel against their masters. Some slave owners began to fear for the safety of their families. They feared for their very lives.
 
5     England was no longer involved with slavery in the United States after the Revolutionary War. But the problems still remained. Several Americans decided it was time to do something in 1816. The slave owners and the abolitionists joined forces. Robert Finley started an organization which tried to satisfy the concerns of both sides.

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