44] Invited to hear a
lecture by Mr. Pinney, a former governor of Liberia, then on a tour in the
United States raising funds to purchase land there, the free blacks of
Cincinnati held a meeting to protest. Arrogating to themselves the
privilege of expressing the opinion of all the colored people of the United
States, they respectfully declined the invitation for the reasons that the
scheme was iniquitous in that it implied the assumption of the inequality
of the free people of color.[45] They accordingly urged that such sums as
their so-called friends might give for the purchase of land in Africa might
be used for establishing schools and asylums for colored children in this
country.[46] At a series of meetings of free colored people, held in the
city of Cleveland, Ohio, during the winter of 1845-46, the Colonization
Society was denounced as an organization whose proceedings tended to
aggravate the injustice with which the free colored people were treated in
this country. It was called the greatest antagonist which colored people
had to meet and put down, before they could "stand erect in this country."
During the meeting a very bitter spirit was shown toward the white race.
They passed resolutions declaring that the colored people were entitled to
all the privileges and immunities enjoyed by the whites and pledged
themselves never to rest until they had redressed their wrongs and gained
their rights.[47]

Another important instance of the opposition of the colored people of the
North and West may be observed in the proceedings of a meeting held in
Cincinnati. Mr. Vashon, a free man of color of Pittsburgh, had a motion
passed in one of their anti-slavery meetings in that city, "declaring the
Colonization Society inimical to the best interests of the free colored
population of the country, and unworthy of the support of the churches."
After speeches had been made by Vashon and Henry Gloster, a free man of
color from Michigan, the original motion was passed with but one or two
dissenting voices in spite of the efforts to amend it. It is probable that
the amendments proposed were to soften the tone of the original motion, but
no mention was made of them other than to state that they were offered by
the opposition.[48]

Numerous other meetings were held to continue the expression of the same
sentiments. At a meeting in Boston in 1847 the Colonization Society was
referred to as the expatriating institution which would never