Report of the naval committee to the House of Representatives, August, 1850, in favor of the establishment of a line of mail steamships to the western coast of Africa, and thence via the Mediterranean to London

In Short

This volume is an official 1850 legislative report from the United States House Committee on Naval Affairs. It advocates for federal funding to establish a permanent line of mail steamships between America and the Republic of Liberia. The stated goals of the committee are threefold: to expand the American steam navy for national defense, to open new commercial markets in Africa, and to encourage the emigration of free persons of color from the United States to the Liberian colony, a project championed by the American Colonization Society.

The Story

The document begins with the referral of a memorial from Joseph Bryan and his associates to the Committee on Naval Affairs. The committee, led by Representative Frederick P. Stanton, frames the request as a necessary strategic expansion of the existing federal policy of subsidizing mail steamships. They argue that the United States possesses a woefully inadequate steam navy compared to European powers like Great Britain and France. By funding a fleet of large, powerful steamers under the guise of mail delivery, the government could simultaneously secure a military asset capable of rapid troop deployment and achieve the "beneficent" goal of facilitating the migration of free Black people to Liberia.

The narrative shifts from naval strategy to the social and political motivations behind the colonization movement. The committee contends that free Black people face systemic exclusion from political and social privileges in every state, and that their presence is a source of "dangerous irritation" between the North and the South. They argue that removal to Africa is the only remedy for these sectional tensions and the only way to provide these individuals with a meaningful future. The report provides a glowing, if idealized, portrait of Liberia, describing it as a thriving, moral, and self-governed republic where the soil is "amazingly fertile" and the climate, while fatal to white settlers, is perfectly suited to the African constitution.

The argument then pivots to the economic potential of the African continent. The report details an abundance of natural resources—ranging from high-quality coffee and medicinal dyes to timber and ginger—that could be exploited through the establishment of these trade routes. The committee envisions Liberia as a "door" through which American commerce, civilization, and Christianity will flow into Africa’s interior, benefiting both the American economy and the "benighted millions" of the African continent.

To prove the project’s feasibility, the text includes a lengthy appendix of testimonials from prominent figures like Henry Clay and James Madison, alongside legislative resolutions from various states supporting the society’s mission. The document concludes with a rigorous financial breakdown, estimating the immense costs of building and maintaining these steamers, while asserting that the long-term benefits of trade and the permanent suppression of the transatlantic slave trade justify the significant federal expenditure. The report frames the entire endeavor not merely as a colonial project, but as a providential necessity, positioning the American Colonization Society as a humanitarian force tasked with a "noble mission" to resolve the deep-seated discord of the era.

How It Unfolds

The legislative proposal The text opens with the formal referral of the memorial to the Naval Committee, establishing the context of an official government inquiry into the feasibility of a steamship line.

The naval justification The committee compares the limited American steam navy to the vast fleets of Europe, arguing that these new ships are required for national defense and the projection of power.

The social argument The report outlines the rationale for colonizing free Black Americans, framing their removal as a social necessity to preserve the peace of the Union and alleviate sectional friction.

The vision of Liberia The text presents a highly favorable description of the Liberian republic, highlighting its agricultural wealth and the supposed suitability of the climate for the settlers.

The economic potential The committee lists the abundant raw materials available in Africa, emphasizing how the new steamship line would create a lucrative market for American manufacturers.

The historical and moral support A collection of letters and state resolutions provides historical weight to the colonization movement, citing the approval of figures like Jefferson and Clay to bolster the project's moral authority.

The financial structure The report concludes with a detailed breakdown of the construction costs, operating expenses, and insurance requirements, outlining the exact nature of the contract the government would offer.

The People

The document features a wide array of figures, though they appear more as ideological voices than as individual characters. Joseph Bryan serves as the primary memorialist, the catalyst who envisions the steamship line as a solution to both commerce and the "problem" of the free Black population. Frederick P. Stanton, representing the House Committee, acts as the pragmatic architect, translating these social desires into a concrete plan for naval expansion and federal spending.

Henry Clay, the long-time president of the American Colonization Society, emerges as the most prominent intellectual force in the appendix. His speech serves as the moral center of the report, where he explicitly denies that his goal is to challenge the institution of slavery, focusing instead on the belief that the two races cannot live together in harmony. Other historical figures—such as James Madison, John Marshall, and Thomas Jefferson—are invoked as authorities to provide legitimacy, their past writings used to anchor the colonization scheme in the traditions of the nation's founders. The Liberian leadership, specifically J. J. Roberts, is presented briefly as a sign of the colony’s success, though he is treated as a remote success story rather than a partner. Collectively, these men act as a unified cohort of policymakers who believe that the voluntary removal of free Black people is the only path to national stability and progress.

In Its Own Voice

The emigration of this entire population beyond the limits of our country is the only effectual mode of curing these evils, and of removing one cause of dangerous irritation between the different sections of the Union.

The committee presents this as the fundamental justification for the state-sponsored removal of free Black Americans.

The white man cannot live in Africa.

Commodore Stockton uses this assertion to argue that only the descendants of Africans can successfully colonize the continent.

Liberia is the door of Africa, and is destined to develope the agricultural and commercial resources of that continent, besides being the means of regenerating her benighted millions.

This statement summarizes the committee’s dual hope for commercial gain and missionary influence.

What It's Really About

This report is a primary document of the mid-19th-century American political establishment, revealing how federal policy, naval development, and economic expansion were intertwined with the politics of slavery and colonization. At its core, the text is an argument for the export of a domestic social crisis. By positioning the "problem" of free Black people as a security and economic issue, the authors attempt to justify federal intervention as a means to maintain national unity. It is less a plan for trade than a political manifesto that seeks to resolve the moral and social contradictions of a slaveholding republic by systematically removing those who existed outside the structure of slavery, all while maintaining the pretense of humanitarianism and national duty.

Why Read It Today

Readers interested in the history of the American Colonization Society, 19th-century naval policy, or the rhetoric of the antebellum era will find this document essential. It is a stark, unvarnished look at the prevailing attitudes of the time, revealing the cold, bureaucratic language used to discuss the forced or pressured displacement of human beings. The book is not an easy read; it is saturated in the period's pervasive anti-Black prejudice, which is presented by the authors as settled, common-sense reality.

However, the value of the text lies precisely in this lack of modern filter. It offers a clear, primary-source view of how political leaders in 1850 justified the exclusion of free Black people from the American future. For those studying the ideological foundations of the decades leading up to the Civil War, the report provides a vital map of the political and economic landscape. It serves as a reminder of how federal power was conceptualized—and in this case, proposed—to serve the interests of those who viewed the existence of free Black people as a threat to the stability of the Union. It is a dense, repetitive, and deeply challenging historical record that brings the reader face-to-face with the arguments that shaped a pivotal moment in American history.