“Love Him and Let Him Go”:

Abstract

This article traces the life, career, and accomplishments of African-American Liberian emigrant James E. Brown. Born in about 1802, Brown was a longtime supporter of the American Colonization Society (ACS) and promoted emigration for African-Americans during his time both in the United States and in Liberia. Studying under the auspices of the American Colonization Society in the early 1830s, Brown apprenticed with a prominent white Washington, DC, pharmacist, becoming one of the first known formally trained African-American apothecaries. Part I of this article recounts Brown’s life and travels in the United States—both before and after his 1833 emigration as the Liberian Colonial Apothecary—including his pharmacy education and his vocal support of the American Colonization Society.