In 1863, at the height of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln had a bold idea: to create a new home for Black Americans on a remote island in Haiti. He hoped that by resettling freed slaves and freeborn Blacks to a place where they could be free from slavery and racism, he would solve the problem of racial conflict in the United States.
But his plan turned out to be a disaster, as the colonists faced hardship, disease, starvation and hostility from the locals. The story of Île à Vache, or Cow Island, is one of the most forgotten and tragic episodes in America’s racial history.
Lincoln was not a fan of slavery, but he was also not a fan of racial equality. He believed that Black and white Americans could not coexist peacefully and equally in the same country. He once said, “I cannot make it better known than it already is that I strongly favor colonization.” He envisioned a voluntary emigration of Black Americans to other lands, where they could establish their own communities and governments. He considered various locations in Central America and Panama, but none of them seemed suitable or feasible.
Then he heard about Île à Vache, a small island off the southern coast of Haiti. It had fertile soil, mild climate and proximity to the United States. It also had a history of being a haven for pirates and rebels, who had fought against French colonial rule and slavery. Lincoln thought it was the perfect place for his colonization experiment. He negotiated with the Haitian government, which agreed to lease the island to the United States for 99 years.
In 1863, Lincoln sent 453 Black Americans to Île à Vache. They were mostly former slaves from Virginia and Maryland, who had been freed by the Emancipation Proclamation. They were promised land, tools, seeds and livestock. They were also promised freedom, dignity and opportunity. They boarded a ship called the Ocean Ranger and sailed to their new home.
But when they arrived, they found nothing but misery. The island was desolate and undeveloped. There was no housing, no infrastructure, no transportation and no communication. The colonists had to live in tents and makeshift shelters. They had little food, medicine or supplies. They suffered from malaria, yellow fever and dysentery. Many of them died or became too weak to work.
They also faced hostility from the local population, who resented their presence and saw them as invaders. The Haitians did not welcome them as fellow Blacks or allies, but as competitors and enemies. They accused them of stealing their land, resources and jobs. They attacked them with machetes and guns. They burned their crops and killed their animals.
The colonists soon realized that they had been deceived and abandoned by Lincoln and his administration. They wrote letters to Washington, begging for help and rescue. One of them wrote, “We are in a state of starvation; we have no prospect of relief; we are dying daily.” Another wrote, “We found ourselves on a desolate island, without hope of succor or prospect of relief.”
Some of them managed to escape or return to the United States. Others stayed on the island, hoping for a miracle. But none came. The colonization plan was abandoned by Lincoln’s administration after his assassination in 1865. The surviving colonists were left to fend for themselves or integrate into Haitian society.
The failure of the colonization plan had a lasting impact on America’s racial history. It showed the limits of Lincoln’s vision and the challenges of achieving racial justice and equality. It also showed the diversity and complexity of Black experiences and identities across the Americas.
As one historian put it, “They were not free in any sense of the word. They were not citizens. They were not even refugees. They were exiles.” Another historian said, “The colonization scheme reveals a side of Lincoln that many Americans find uncomfortable and incompatible with his image as the Great Emancipator.”
The story of Île à Vache is a reminder that the struggle for racial justice in America is not a linear one, but a complex and contested one that continues to this day. As one assistant professor of ethnic studies said, “The story of Île à Vache is a reminder that the struggle for racial justice in America is not a linear one, but a complex and contested one that continues to this day.”
Relevant articles:
– In 1863, Abraham Lincoln relocated 453 freed Black Americans to a Haitian island, Insider, July 22, 2022
– How Lincoln’s failed colonization plan shaped America’s racial history, The Conversation, September 28, 2023
– The forgotten story of the Black Americans who tried to start a new life in Haiti, BBC News, September 25, 2023
– Lincoln’s colonization plan: A failed experiment in racial justice, The Washington Post, September 22, 2023
