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How Liberia got independence
Liberia is Africa’s oldest independent and
democratic republic, with their independence
dating back to about 170 years ago.
Liberia was found in 1822 by former slaves
and some free-born Blacks, that is, Blacks
born after the abolishment of slave trade
in the United States, with the sponsorship
of American Colonization Society, ACS.
The ACS was established in 1816 by Robert
Finley, and they were given the job of sending
the freed slaves back to Africa, instead of
having them walk about and live as free people
in the United States.
The American Colonization Society made remarkable
progress since their inception,doing what
they were charged with.
In fact, between 1822, when Liberia was founded
and the American Civil War, they were able
to take back about 19, 000 American-born blacks
to Liberia.
Liberia is the only African country that gained
its independence by themselves without revolting
any higher power, or having to lead protests
to oust any stronger authority like most African
countries .
The United Kingdom was the first country to
recognize Liberia's independence.
In fact, it was under pressure and with great
influence from them that the United States
hesitantly accepted Liberian's sovereignty,
and in doing so,making them the first democratic
state.
To make this legal and valid, a declaration
of Independence had to be issued in the form
of a document, and this document is called
the Declaration of Independence.
The declaration of Independence was adopted
by the Liberian Constitutional Convention
on July 26, 1847, to announce that the Commonwealth
of Liberia,
a colony founded and controlled by the private
American Colonization Society, was an independent
state known as the Republic of Liberia.
This Declaration was written by Hilary Teague
and adopted simultaneously with the first
Constitution of Liberia.
The anniversary of this adoption and that
of the constitution is what is celebrated
in present times as Independence Day in Liberia.
The first former U.S. slaves arrived at the
British colony of Sierra Leone from the United
States in 1820, and in 1821, the American
Colonization Society founded the colony of
Liberia south of Sierra Leone to serve as
the new homeland for former slaves outside
the British Jurisdiction.
And, that is how Liberia got its location
on the map.
It seemed like the whole process transpired
flawlessly, but in fact, it wasn’t that
seamless.
The American Colonization Society was attacked
by the U.S. abolitionists who claimed that
the removal of the freed slaves from the United
States in fact strengthened the slavery institution,
as opposed to destroying it.
Also, most of the Americans with African origins,the
blacks born in America, were not happy about
the idea of abandoning America, for the harsh
and unfamiliar West Africa.
It might be their true home, but it was an
unfamiliar one.
In spite of this, between 1822 and the time
of the American Civil War, about 15, 000 African
Americans settled in Liberia.
They were granted independence by the United
States on July 26, 1847, twenty-five years
after their first successful colonization,
and Liberia assisted Britain in its efforts
to put an end to the illegal West African
slave trade.
This was recognized officially by the U.S.
diplomatic recognition in 1862.
Monrovia, the current capital of Liberia was
named in honor of James Monroe, the 5 th president
of the United States of America.
Asides from naming the capital of their new
republic after an American president, their
government was also modeled after that of
the United States.
That makes sense because that’s the closest
example of running a country they had.
Joseph Jenkins Roberts, who is an American
born native of Virginia was elected the first
African American President of the newly found
nation.
By 1862, President Abraham Lincoln extended
official diplomatic recognition to Liberia.
He's way of acknowledging Liberia as an equal,
diplomatic wise.
Twenty three of the presidents Liberia has
had were American born.
The African American colonizers created an
“Americo-Liberian” governing board that
was made up of elite members, and they recreated
a two-sided society based on ethnicity and
class.
This system was not different from the system
of racial segregation amongst the black and
white that they had left behind in the United
States.
It was like leaving a racist society to forming
another.
They spoke English and established in Liberia
many of the customs popular in America’s
southern states, including forms of social
interaction, the way structures were built,
religion, and even mode of dressing.
As it was common among many Americans and
Europeans then, the Americo-Liberian also
held beliefs that the Protestant Christianity
was the right way to be a Christian.
They also held the cultural power of European
civilization over indigenous culture.
Although these group of elite were never more
than five percent of the population of Liberia,
they still managed to control key resources
that allowed them to dominate indigenous Liberian
people,
such as access to higher levels of education,
the ocean, literacy, technical skills, and
valuable relationships with many United States
government institutions, and other American
organizations.
After gaining the support of the United States,
Liberia was able to keep and maintain their
independence all through the turmoil that
came in the 20th century.
When Charles Taylor was elected the Liberian
president in free elections, a civil war started
in Liberia that claimed a lot of lives, but
also gained them another form of Independence.
What's your take on Liberia as an Independent
nation?
Let's know in the comment section.
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