Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses enslavement and racism.

Abolition refers to doing away with a practice, system, or institution and is frequently used in reference to slavery. Abolition movements began gaining steam in the United States during the early to mid-19th century, and slavery was finally abolished following the end of the Civil War in 1865.

Colonization involves taking over a land or country and establishing foreign control. Historically, colonization has usually involved the exploitation of native land and people for the enrichment of the colonizing forces.

The Colonization Plan was proposed by the American Colonization Society in the mid-1800s. The idea was to create a new colony in Liberia where free African Americans could live without the racism and prejudice they experienced in the United States. However, many saw the plan as a way to reduce the threat that free Black people posed to the institution of slavery.