Liberia; or Mr. Peyton's Experiments

1853 Hale, Mrs. Sarah J[osepha Buell], ed. [written by] (1788-1879). Liberia; or Mr. Peyton’s Experiments. New York: Harper & Brothers. Rpt. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Gregg Press, 1968. DLC, L, PSt

The novel concerns the activities of a Virginian who wants to improve the lives of slaves. His first two schemes fail, but he discovers the American Colonization Society, which was founded in 1816 to send emancipated slaves to Africa and decides to work with it. The novel continues with the settlement of Liberia, the initial problems there, and its emergence as a eutopia. The book concludes with letters sent from Liberia and documents regarding Liberia and related activities, including excerpts from a Declaration of Independence and Constitution. The author was the editor of the Ladies’ Magazine from 1828 to 1837, when it became Godey’s Lady’s Book, which she continued to edit until 1877. She was the author of the poem “Mary Had a Little Lamb”. Female author.