The missionary presence and influences in Maryland in Liberia, 1834--1842

In 1831 Maryland colonizationists broke away from the American Colonization Society (ACS) and formed the Maryland State Colonization Society (MSCS) in an effort to control the colonization movement in Maryland. This was done in response to pressure to colonize Maryland's rapidly increasing free African-American population in "Maryland in Africa." The MSCS took deliberate steps to avoid the problems faced by the ACS and its colonists. These steps were not successful and actually led to conflicts between Maryland colonists and missionaries. This study examines how the policies of the MSCS and the interpretation and subsequent enforcement of them by the missionaries led to conflicts with the colonists of Maryland in Liberia.