Final answer:
The American Colonization Society was founded to free slaves and transport them back to Africa, particularly to the colony of Liberia, but was based on the belief in racial inferiority and did not envision a biracial society of equals.
Step-by-step explanation:
The American Colonization Society (ACS) was created to free slaves and transport them back to Africa. Founded in 1816, its primary objective was to support the migration of free African Americans to the colony of Liberia in West Africa.
While it was supported by prominent figures like Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Abraham Lincoln, it was based on the belief in the inferiority of Black people and the perceived 'unconquerable prejudice' against them in the United States. The ACS's methods and motivations were different from that of radical abolitionists, who sought the complete end of slavery and the establishment of a multiracial society of equals.
Despite the initial support, the ACS's vision proved problematic. The relocation process resulted in significant loss of life due to disease, cultural and socio-political tensions in Liberia, and it failed to resolve the issue of slavery in the U.S. The movement ultimately lost momentum in the mid-1800s as national tensions over slavery escalated, leading up to the Civil War.