African American, was: "AAVE" (the abbrev. itself)

[Baker, John]

        Making of America has this passage from Leaven for Doughfaces; or, Threescore and Ten Parables Touching Slavery, by A Former Resident of the South [Darius Lyman] (1856), at pages 28 - 29:  "Thus by vigorous exertion of speech and pen, they built up a vast society to send African Americans to a pleasant home among savages of their own race, who erect pyramids of human heads."

        In addition, the same book lists the title of Chapter VI in the table of contents as "The Colonizers.  The main obstacle to the Colonization of the African American is his bondage."  In the main text on page 28, however, the chapter heading is "The Colonizers.  The main Obstacle to the Colonization of the African is his bondage."

        The chapter in question discusses the proposal to send African-Americans back to Africa, which the author calls "colonization," so it is easy to see why he would find it useful to refer to African Americans rather than to Africans.

John Baker