By 1862, Lincoln had decided that
Chiriquí Province, at the time part of the
Granadine Confederation but today in
Panama, would be an ideal location to start a colony where black people, especially
freedmen, could lead better lives than they could in the United States. In August of that year, he invited a group of prominent
Africans to the
White House to discuss the plan. He stated that the area had "evidence of very rich coal mines...[and] among the finest [harbors] in the world." African Americans, including
Frederick Douglass,
were in general firmly opposed to emigration, and the delegation similarly reacted negatively. Later that month,
The National Republican published an editorial with the title "The Colony of Linconia", which stated that "the necessary arrangements for founding a colony on a grand scale...have been completed", with the project being headed by Senator Pomeroy. Pomeroy proposed that 100 African families travel with him to the site as "pioneers" on October 1. In September, Pomeroy received the permission of the Chiriquí government and landowner
Ambrose W. Thompson of the
Chiriquí Improvement Company.{{cite book However, the Central American nations of
Costa Rica,
Nicaragua, and
Honduras felt threatened, and informed Washington that they opposed this plan. Costa Rica had territorial claims in Chiriquí, and made a formal complaint. The "representatives of Central America" also considered Pomeroy's plan to be an example of
filibustering, "
à la Walker".{{cite news ==See also==