author
William Coppinger
1828–1892
A longtime official of the American Colonization Society, he spent decades writing about Liberia and the future of Africa for American readers. His books and pamphlets capture a revealing slice of 19th-century thinking about colonization, expansion, and reform.
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About the author
Born in London on March 18, 1828, and brought to the United States as a small child, he entered the office of the Pennsylvania Colonization Society in 1838 when he was only ten years old. He remained connected to colonization work for the rest of his life, later becoming secretary of the American Colonization Society in 1864.
He wrote a series of works on Africa and Liberia, including The Race for Africa, A New World, and Progress in Africa. These publications presented African colonization to late-19th-century American audiences and show how deeply he was involved in the society's mission.
He died on February 9, 1892. Although he is not widely remembered today, his writing remains useful for readers interested in American colonization movements, Liberia, and the ideas that shaped public debates about Africa in his era.