Explorers & agents · 1795–1866
Robert F. Stockton
U.S. naval officer who obtained the Cape Mesurado cession at pistol-point in December 1821.
Biography
Commanding the schooner Alligator on anti-slaving patrol, Stockton was detailed to assist the ACS agent Eli Ayres in finding a site after the Sherbro disaster.
His own biographer records the decisive scene: a pistol levelled at Zolu Duma when the king tried to withdraw from the bargain.
Historical significance
Personifies the coercive edge of the colonisation project, on the record from a friendly source.
Timeline
- 1821Alligator on the Guinea coast
- 15 Dec 1821Signs the Ducor Contract
Related entries
References
- Bayard (1856). A Sketch of the Life of Commodore Robert F. Stockton.
Suggested reading
- Burrowes (2023). A History of Liberia in 100 Documents.