Class Year
2025
Document Type
Article
Abstract
Ambrose Thompson, a Pennsylvanian entrepreneur, aimed to profit from his title to coal-rich lands in Chiriqui by negotiating with several presidential administrations. Thompson’s plan during the Buchanan presidency centered on constructing naval bases and extracting resources for the navy. Although the Buchanan administration withheld their approval of the scheme, Thompson pounced on the opportunity to renew conversations about his colonization project with President Lincoln. This article examines how Thompson targeted Lincoln's racial and political ideologies in letters to launch the project and explores the factors that ultimately molded Lincoln’s decision to abandon the Chiriqui scheme during the Civil War.
Recommended Citation
Strittmatter, Hayden C.
(2025)
"“A Wise Ending to a Singularly Foolish Beginning”: An Analysis of the Chiriqui Colonization Project,"
The Gettysburg College Journal of the Civil War Era: Vol. 14, Article 6.
Available at:
https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/gcjcwe/vol14/iss1/6