Tag Archives: anti-colonialism

For the second time in as many weeks, I found this topic quite difficult. Now don’t get me wrong, I was excited to dig up more information on the figures that helped make Liberia what it is today. In America, citizens are constantly reminded of who deserves our admiration for positively affecting our society whether it is Martin Luther King Jr., Abraham Lincoln or Susan B. Anthony. However, after doing extensive research trying to find the elusive anti-colonial figures that helped Liberia remain free from external pressures and influences I discovered two things. One, there was no one (or multiple) person who fought colonization in Liberia; it was a communion of differing groups of people stemming from North America and Africa. Two, America had a much larger and overbearing role in the internal political and economical infrastructure in Liberia than I ever thought possible. So while I was unable to unearth distinct revolutionary figures in the history of anti-colonialism and subsequent declaration of independence in Liberia, I do believe that I provide a more unique look into the different groups of people that came together and contributed to the Liberia we know today.

During the 1800s, we saw an increase in the number of freed slaves in North America as well as in Liberia. These were people who had seen toil, death and injustice. In America, the slave states that were or had participated in slave trading were most interested in sending the free African-Americans and newly freed slaves away from their developing societies with one of the most appealing options being Liberia. Liberia I’m sure represented a place that not only was far way almost contributing to the idea “out of sight, out of mind” but also a way to save their reputation. What could be a more progressive action than assisting Liberia in becoming more colonized through the migration of the people themselves? The Africans themselves wanted an outlet to express their freedom and independence. A life in Liberia would sure be an upgrade from the life of hardship and discrimination in America, right?

The United States was a huge factor in the aid for independence in Liberia. Many societies were formed to aid in the transportation and settling of newly freed slaves and other African-Americans. Societies such as The Maryland State Colonization Society and The American Society for Colonizing the Free People of Colour of the United States (2) are just two of organizations that contributed to the migration of people to Liberia. This might appear to some as controversial; Liberia and Ethiopia were the only two countries that escaped colonialism! From a different perspective, the way I see it is the returning of displaced human beings, regardless of generation, back to their rightful land. This does not spell the idea of forming colonies; it was the actions of men and women returning home.

Politics and involvement throughout America and Africa allowed the magnificently independent country of Liberia the opportunity to strengthen its shallow roots. Freed African Americans made the treacherous journey back to a place where their ancestors had been taken out of in fear and in shackles. These men and women not only argued for freedom but also for the chance to reclaim their home.

1.) http://www.conservapedia.com/Liberia

2.) http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/libhtml/liberia.html