Lincoln met Black leaders to sell a $600000 colonization plan

Evidence

That day in August, as the five Black men arrived at the White House, they were greeted by the towering Lincoln and a man named James Mitchell, who eight days before had been installed in the newly created post of commissioner of emigration. One of Mitchell’s first tasks in that role had been to call the meeting with a delegation of Black leaders, some of whom supported colonization, to sell the idea. After exchanging a few niceties, Lincoln informed his guests that Congress had appropriated funds—some $600,000—to ship Black people, once freed, to another country. — Nikole Hannah-Jones et al., The 1619 Project, 130

Categorization

• QUESTION: What was the date and full context of this White House meeting, and how do competing accounts of Lincoln’s intentions treat it? Useful for the dispute-case-study angle.