Colonization in Haiti
May 13, 1861
Here Garrison responds to three black leaders of Boston, who have asked for his views respecting the desirability of emigration to Haiti. In his letter, Garrison recognizes that the results of emigration may in some cases be good, but maintains his long-standing anti-colonization position. “If you desire to know whether, as a general rule, I would advise colored persons to emigrate to Hayti, even on the generous terms proposed by its government, my reply is, decidedly, no. … One unavoidable evil attending it is to unsettle the minds of the colored people themselves, in regard to their future destiny; to inspire the mischievous belief in the minds of white people, that they can yet be effectually ‘got rid of’; and to keep law and custom unfriendly to them; so as to induce their departure to a foreign land. … ” 1