pport a colony in
Africa nor Upper Canada, nor yet emigrate to Haiti. Here they were
born--here they would live by the help of the Almighty God--and here they
would die.[34] Early in 1832, the colored people of Lewiston, Pennsylvania,
in a meeting called by Samuel and Martin Johnston, expressed practically
the same sentiments.[35] Through the influence of Jacob D. Richardson and
Jacob G. Williams, an indignation meeting of the same kind was held at
Harrisburg.[36]

The free people of color, assembled at Nantucket, Rhode Island, in 1831,
under the leadership of Arthur Cooper and Edward J. Pompey, saw no
philanthropy in the colonization movement, but discovered in it a scheme
gotten up to delude them from their native land into a country of sickness
and death.[37] A Trenton meeting promoted by Lewis Cork and Abner H.
Francis viewed the American Colonization Society as the most inveterate foe
both to the free and slave man of color. These memorialists disclaimed all
union with the Society and, once for all, declared that they would never
remove under its patronage either to Africa or elsewhere.[38]

In New York there had been various expressions pro and con as to emigration
to Liberia, but it does not seem that a large number of colored people of
that city ever favored it. They believed rather in emigration to Canada.
The attitude of the people of that State was shown in 1834 by the troubles
of Reverend Peter Williams, Rector of St. Phillip's Church in the city of
New York. Working through the Phoenix Society and the Anti-Slavery Society
he had endeavored to convince the free colored people that the idea held
out to men of color that no matter how they might strive to become
intelligent, virtuous and useful, they could never enjoy the privilege of
citizens in the United States, was erroneous. On the contrary, he believed
that the Declaration of Independence, which his father had helped to
maintain, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ had sufficient power to raise the
people of color at some time to the rank of citizenship. Although his
opposition never extended further than the expression of his views, there
arose so much antagonism to him that he was asked by his bishop to resign
from the Anti-Slavery Society, because of a disturbance in his church.[39]
There remained others, however, to continue the attack. At a meeting in
1839 the free people of color of New York entered a unanimous protest
against the efforts of this body,