The African Institution was founded in 1807 after British abolitionists succeeded in ending the slave trade based in the United Kingdom. The Institution was formed to succeed where the former Sierra Leone Company had failed—to create a viable, civilised refuge for freed slaves in Sierra Leone, in West Africa. It was led by James Stephen and William Wilberforce. From 1823, its work was mostly taken over by the Society for the Mitigation and Gradual Abolition of Slavery Throughout the British Dominions, and it ceased to exist sometime between 1826 and 1828.

History

Where the Sierra Leone Company sought first to convert the native population through evangelism, the African Institution aimed to improve the standard of living in Freetown first. Rules and regulations were proposed at its first meeting on 14 April 1807. One aspect of its purpose was to repair the wrongs which Africans had suffered in their intercourse with Europeans. The leaders of the African Institution were James Stephen and William Wilberforce. The Duke of Gloucester, nephew of King George III, acted as the Institution's first president, and was joined by clergymen and aristocrats. Leading Quaker families also became supporters, as well as Unitarians like Peter Finch Martineau.

Friendly Society of Sierra Leone

The Institution showed close interest in working with Paul Cuffe, an African-American entrepreneur. In 1810–11 they approached the British government, requesting a land grant in Sierra Leone for him. The African merchants of Freetown, Sierra Leone, were however prevented from getting ahead by the tight monopoly which the British merchant company Macaulay and Babington held over the Sierra Leone trade. On 7 April 1811 Cuffe met with the foremost black merchants of the colony, including the successful John Kizell. They penned a petition to the African Institution, stating that the colony's greatest needs were for settlers to work in agriculture, commerce and whaling; and that these three areas would facilitate growth for the colony best. Upon receiving this petition, the members of the Institution agreed with their findings. Cuffe and these merchants together founded the Friendly Society of Sierra Leone, a local mutual-aid merchant group dedicated to furthering prosperity and industry among the free peoples in the colony and loosening the stranglehold that English merchants held on trade.

Indian Ocean

The Institution took action in negotiating with Said bin Sultan, Sultan of Muscat and Oman to reduce the prevalence of slavery in his possessions, which included Zanzibar. This was in 1820, some five years after the East India Company had become involved with the Sultan, through the Governor of Bombay, Sir Evan Nepean. In 1821, Ralph Darling, who was Governor of Mauritius, also took steps against the slave trade.

Reports

The Committee of the African Institution produced a series of annual Reports, from 1807 to 1824.

First Report (1807)

In its first report, presented on 15 July 1807, "The committee expressed its view that the people of Africa were sunk in ignorance and barbarism and took for itself the task of introducing the blessings of civilisation to what they viewed as constituting a quarter of the habitable globe.".

Second Report (1808)

The second report starts with the announcement of a series of prizes valued at 50 Guineas for the being the first person to import from West Africa to Great Britain the following quantities of goods:

Third Report (1809)

In its third report, presented 25 March 1809, the directors reported that three African youths had received training in a new educational procedure developed at the Duke of York's Royal Military School from techniques developed in India. Thanks to the intervention of the Duke of Gloucester, the youths participated as teacher at the Asylum before being sent to Sierra Leone, where they were employed as teachers by the Secretary of State for War and the Colonies, the Earl of Liverpool. One of the skills it was hoped they would introduce to Sierra Leone was cotton cultivation.

Fourth Report (1810)

Fourth Report of the Committee of the African Institution, presented 28 March 1810:

Fifth Report (1811)

Fifth Report of the Directors of the African Institution, presented 27 March 1811:

Sixth Report (1812)

Sixth Report of the Committee of the African Institution, presented at the Freemasons' Tavern, London 25 March 1812:

Seventh Report (1813)

Seventh Report of the Committee of the African Institution, presented at the Freemasons' Tavern, London 24 March 1813:

Eighth Report (1814)

Report of the Directors of the African Institution, presented 23 March 1814:

Ninth Report (1815)

Ninth Report of the Directors of the African Institution, presented London 12 April 1815:

Special Report, 1815

A Special Report was produced in 1815 to rebut an attack on the Institution by Robert Thorpe. The seventh annual report had noted a deterioration of conditions in Sierra Leone, yet had made upbeat comments about all involved. Concerned parties—William Allen and John Clarkson—expressed disquiet, while Thorpe made unmeasured criticisms, pamphleteering and targeting Zachary Macaulay. Henry Brougham headed an internal enquiry at the beginning of 1814, with Wilberforce, Macaulay and Thomas Clarkson. The outcome was that Thomas Perronet Thompson, governor in Sierra Leone and at odds with leading evangelicals, who had already been removed in 1810, was roundly criticised.

Twelfth Report, 1818

Twelfth Report of the Directors of the African Institution presented on 9 April 1818:

Sixteenth Report (1822)

Sixteenth Report of the Directors of the African Institution, presented 10 May 1822:

Anti-Slavery Society (1823)

The Society for the Mitigation and Gradual Abolition of Slavery Throughout the British Dominions, usually known as the "Anti-Slavery Society", was set up in 1823. Its leadership overlapped substantially with that of the African Institution. It involved James Cropper and Thomas Babington Macaulay, and was somewhat more open in approach.

Dormancy and demise

The Twentieth Report (1826) of the Institution concentrated on being informative, rather than summarising activity or raising funds. Wilberforce had retired. By about 1828 such activism as came from the underlying group was in practice being run by the Anti-Slavery Society.