Alfred Charles Sam (c. 1880 – 1930s?), known as Chief Alfred Sam, was a

Gold Coast Gold Coast may refer to: Places Africa * Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana: ** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642) ** Dutch G ...

-born merchant and pioneer

pan-Africanist Pan-Africanism is a worldwide movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all Indigenous and diaspora peoples of African ancestry. Based on a common goal dating back to the Atlantic slave trade, the movement exte ...

who during 1913 to 1915 encouraged the resettlement of

African Americans African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

as part of the

Back-to-Africa movement The back-to-Africa movement was based on the widespread belief among some European Americans in the 18th and 19th century United States that African Americans would want to return to the continent of Africa. In general, the political movement wa ...

Biography

He was born at Apaso (Appasu) in the West Akim district of the Gold Coast (now

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

), and was educated at a

mission school The Mission School (sometimes called "New Folk" or "Urban Rustic") is an art movement of the 1990s and 2000s, centered in the Mission District, San Francisco, California. History and characteristics This movement is generally considered to have ...

Kyebi Kibi or ''Kyebi'' is a town and the capital of the East Akim Municipal District, a district in the Eastern Region of south Ghana, on the eastern slopes of the Atewa Range. Kibi lies at an altitude of 318 m, and, Kibi has a 2013 settl ...

. He became a trader in

rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, and ...

and other goods, and acquired the title of

Chief Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boa ...

either from an uncle (as he claimed), Robert A. Hill (ed.)
''The Marcus Garvey and Universal Negro Improvement Association Papers: 1826–August 1919''
University of California Press, 1983, pp. 536–547.Semhar Negassa
"Chief Alfred Charles Sam"
''BlackPast.org''. Retrieved August 8, 2016. or as an honor to recognise that he had traveled to the US or the UK.S. K. B. Asante

reprinted from ''The Encyclopedia Africana Dictionary of African Biography'', 1977. Retrieved 8 August 2016. In May 1913, after corresponding with

Herbert Macaulay Olayinka Herbert Samuel Heelas Badmus Macaulay (14 November 1864 – 7 May 1946) was a Nigerian nationalist, politician, surveyor, engineer, architect, journalist, and musician and is considered by many Nigerians as the founder of Nige ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

and traveling to the US, he began holding large camp-style meetings in Weleetka

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

and elsewhere, encouraging African Americans to buy $25 worth of stock in his Akim Trading Company, join a voyage to their "ancestral home", settle on fertile land that he claimed to have purchased there, reject America and live a life of freedom. His stated intentions were to help develop trade between

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Maurit ...

and the United States, by selling commodities such as

cocoa Cocoa may refer to: Chocolate * Chocolate * ''Theobroma cacao'', the cocoa tree * Cocoa bean, seed of ''Theobroma cacao'' * Chocolate liquor, or cocoa liquor, pure, liquid chocolate extracted from the cocoa bean, including both cocoa butter and ...

coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulant, stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. S ...

and

mahogany Mahogany is a straight-grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus ''Swietenia'', indigenous to the AmericasBridgewater, Samuel (2012). ''A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest''. Austin: Unive ...

to the US, and encouraging black American farmers and mechanics to settle in Africa and so develop the economy there. Among his claims were stories of "diamonds lying on the ground after a rain, trees that produced bread, and sugar cane as large as stove pipes".Larry O'Dell
"Chief Alfred Sam"
''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'', 2009. Retrieved 8 August 2016. Although his scheme was criticized by black businesses and newspapers, and by the authorities, he was cleared of fraud. He was supported by the ''African Pioneer'', a journal of the Back-to-Africa movement, and persuaded hundreds of families to sell their possessions and invest in his scheme. By early 1914, some 500 black Americans were prepared to sail to Africa on Sam's ship, the former German steamer ''Curityba'' which he renamed the S.S. ''Liberia'', and assembled at

Galveston, Texas Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Galvesto ...

. An initial group of some sixty trained and selected men and women were eventually taken on board and left with Sam in August 1914, together with a cargo of lumber, cement, lime, flour, agricultural implements, and household goods with which to establish a settlement. They arrived in Bathurst (now Banjul),

Gambia The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publicatio ...

, in December 1914, and both there and in

Freetown Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educational and p ...

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...

, received considerable publicity. After a long delay in Freetown while British authorities checked the ship's ownership, they eventually reached their destination,

Saltpond Saltpond is a town and the capital of the Mfantsiman Municipal District in the Central Region of South Ghana. Saltpond has a population of 24,689 people. Economy History Saltpond was in a state of economic decline since the landing beach was ...

, in January 1915, and were initially given a warm reception. However, their attempt to settle at Akim failed as local leaders refused to allow Americans to own the necessary land, and because of official restrictions, shortages of materials, and

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

. Many of the intending settlers suffered physical and financial hardships, were discouraged, and felt misled by Sam's claims. Some eventually returned to Oklahoma, while others settled in African cities or

Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...

. By September 1915, before a second voyage could take place, Sam's venture collapsed, with most of those still intending to make the voyage losing their possessions and savings. Sam sold the ''Liberia'', and returned to work as a trader. Sources give differing accounts of his later life, with one stating that he also moved to Liberia, while others indicate that he returned to live in the US, living the remainder of his life as a cocoa buyer. It is thought that he died sometime during the 1930s.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sam, Alfred 1880s births 1930s deaths Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain 1910s in Gold Coast (British colony) Ghanaian pan-Africanists People from Eastern Region (Ghana)