Liberia was founded in 1822 by the American Colonization Society, an organization founded around 1816 whose members included Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, James Madison, John Marshall, James Monroe, Francis Scott Key, Bushrod Washington, John Randolph, and Stephen Douglas. Lincoln was not a member, although he supported its goals.

Lincoln had largely abandoned the idea of anything but voluntary colonization by the time blacks were enlisted in the U.S. Army. After meeting with various leaders in the black community, he realized that they wanted to share equally in American society, not relocate, and he eventually promoted black suffrage.