Inducements to the Colored People of the United States to emigrate to British Guiana

A little-known fact of the historic connection between Baltimore Maryland USA and British Guiana is described in a document titled, "INDUCEMENTS TO THE COLORED PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES TO EMIGRATE TO BRITISH GUIANA" – Published in 1840.

A little-known fact of the historic connection between Baltimore Maryland USA and British Guiana is described in a document titled, "INDUCEMENTS TO THE COLORED PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES TO EMIGRATE TO BRITISH GUIANA" – Published in 1840.

Part of the inducement was "to transport, from the United States to British Guiana, free of any expense to themselves, together with their baggage, all such sober and industrious free colored people as shall see fit to embrace this opportunity, so rare and extraordinary, of at once relieving themselves from the great disabilities and disadvantages under which they now labor, and of securing not only a comfortable subsistence, and perhaps wealth, but what is of far greater importance, both for themselves and their children,—a full participation in all the rights, privileges and immunities of freemen, and a standing and consideration in society, which at present is wholly beyond their reach."

The article mentions the following extract from the Berbice Advertiser of Nov. 1839 the purchase of Plantation Northbrooke (now Victoria) with 500 acres. "Some negroes on the east coast, not a dozen (later verified to be about seventy) in all, have bought Northbroke (a plantation) for $10,000, of which they paid down $8,000 last week, the remaining $2,000, is to be paid this week." It also mentioned that the people who clubbed together to buy the Northbroke estate had only been free since August 1838. Nortbroke is located near Mahaica on the East Coast of Demerara.