Actually, the country of Liberia was formed for free slaves
Lincoln understood what bunch of racist assholes existed in the south and doubted if blacks could ever be "free" there. As it is, Lincoln was right and it took force 100 years later to finally give blacks freedom in the south
ROFL! So Lincoln's plan to send them back to Africa was to protect them from American racists? I've got news for you, bub, Lincoln was a white supremacist:
“I will say, then, that I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races—that I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of making voters or jurors of Negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor to intermarry with white people; and I will say in addition to this, that there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality. And inasmuch as they cannot so live, while they do remain together there must be the position of superior and inferior, and I, as much as any other man, am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race.”
Abraham Lincoln, Charlston IL, 1858