Americo-Liberian
Encyclopedia
Americo-Liberians are a Liberia
n ethnicity of African American
descent. The sister ethnic group of Americo Liberians are the Sierra Leone Creole people
who are of African American, West Indian, and liberated African descent. Americo Liberians trace their ancestry to free-born and formerly enslaved African-Americans
(who called themselves Americo Liberians) who immigrated in the 19th century to become founders of Liberia and other colonies along the coast in places that would become Cote d'Ivoire
and Sierra Leone
. Later, these African Americans integrated 5,000 liberated Africans called Congos (descendents of freed slaves from the Congo Basin
s who never made it to the Americas) and 346 Barbadian
immigrants into the hegemony
. Like the Creoles
of Freetown, Americos rarely intermarried with Natives. For 133 years after independence, the Republic of Liberia was a one-party state ruled by the Americo-Liberian dominated True Whig Party.
"The love of liberty brought us here", was the motto of some 13,000 persons who crossed the Atlantic
to create new settlements on the Grain Coast of West Africa
between 1817 and 1867 with the aid of the American Colonization Society
. These settlers founded one of two African American
colonies in West Africa
, theirs being the nation of Liberia, the other being Freetown, Sierra Leone, with their own descendants being referred to as 'Creoles'. The early settlers practiced their Christian faith
, sometimes in combination
with traditional African religious beliefs. They spoke an African American Vernacular English
, and few ventured into the interior or mingled with local African peoples. Americo-Liberian society, culture and political organization remain heavily influenced by that of the United States
, particularly the country's Southeast. Today the Americo-Liberian population numbers about 150,000. Americo-Liberians were credited for Liberia's largest and longest economic expansion, especially William V.S. Tubman who did much to promote foreign investment and to bridge the economic, social, and political gaps between the descendants of the original settlers and the inhabitants of the interior. Most of the powerful old Americo-Liberian families fled to America in the 1980s after President William Tolbert was assassinated in a military coup.
Although they make up only about 5% of the Liberian population, Americo-Liberians dominated national politics from its founding until Samuel Doe
led a military coup in 1980. There is controversy on how Americo-Liberians held on to power for so long. Some attribute it to the fact that divisions were based on "light-skin vs. dark skin" particularly because the first president was light skinned. Although observers point to the fact that during the Americo-Liberian reign the leaders were light, dark, and brown skinned meaning that theory is unlikely, others attribute it to a Masonic Order as opposed to colorism
. A marble Masonic Lodge was once one of Monrovia's most impressive buildings and the bastion of Americo-Liberian power, and it remains intact today.
culture a worldwide phenomenon, Americo-Liberians left a unique American
imprint on Liberia that lingers until this day. Liberia, whose name means "land of the free," undoubtedly remains the most American of African countries . The Liberian flag, government, and constitution resemble those of the United States. The former residences of Americo-Liberian families (which still stand) resemble those of former majestic plantation homes in the old American South. Many native Liberians still talk with hints of African American Vernacular English
. By many accounts, Liberians easily integrate into African American communities. Liberian immigrants to the U.S. have the highest passport acceptance rates and the longest extension rates of any African nation. Although the old Americo-Liberians are gone, their houses and monuments crumbling, ordinary Liberians still look westward for help. In 2007 BET founder Robert Johnson
called for "African Americans to support Liberia like Jewish Americans support Israel
". Liberia now counts the United States as its strongest supporter in its democratization and reconstruction efforts. In 2007 Condoleezza Rice
announced the U.S. State Department would cancel all of Liberia's debt. Since the end of Liberia's civil war in 2003, the United States has contributed over $750 million toward Liberia's reconstruction and development and more than $750 million to support the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL). The U.S. plans to commit another $342 million bilaterally and through UNMIL in fiscal year 2008. In February 2008, President Bush visited Liberia, where he held his fourth one-on-one meeting with President Sirleaf since Sirleaf's inauguration in January 2006. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is Africa's first female President. While Johnson-Sirleaf was born and raised in Monrovia around Americo-Liberian descendents and named after a former Americo-Liberian President (Hilary Richard Wright Johnson), she maintains that all of her grandparents were indigenous . But a recent interview with PBS's Tavis Smiley, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf stated that her father was of German descent.
. The following presidents of Liberia were American-born Americo-Liberian:
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
n ethnicity of African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
descent. The sister ethnic group of Americo Liberians are the Sierra Leone Creole people
Sierra Leone Creole people
The Sierra Leone Creoles, or Krios, are an ethnic group in Sierra Leone, descendants of West Indian slaves from the Caribbean, primarily from Jamaica; freed African American slaves from the Thirteen Colonies resettled from Nova Scotia; and Liberated Africans from various parts of Africa...
who are of African American, West Indian, and liberated African descent. Americo Liberians trace their ancestry to free-born and formerly enslaved African-Americans
History of slavery in the United States
Slavery in the United States was a form of slave labor which existed as a legal institution in North America for more than a century before the founding of the United States in 1776, and continued mostly in the South until the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in...
(who called themselves Americo Liberians) who immigrated in the 19th century to become founders of Liberia and other colonies along the coast in places that would become Cote d'Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
and Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
. Later, these African Americans integrated 5,000 liberated Africans called Congos (descendents of freed slaves from the Congo Basin
Congo Basin
The Congo Basin is the sedimentary basin that is the drainage of the Congo River of west equatorial Africa. The basin begins in the highlands of the East African Rift system with input from the Chambeshi River, the Uele and Ubangi Rivers in the upper reaches and the Lualaba River draining wetlands...
s who never made it to the Americas) and 346 Barbadian
Barbadian people
Barbadians are people originating on the Caribbean island of Barbados whether they live there or in the Barbadian diaspora.Rihanna is by far the most popular Barbadian on the planet.-Diaspora:...
immigrants into the hegemony
Hegemony
Hegemony is an indirect form of imperial dominance in which the hegemon rules sub-ordinate states by the implied means of power rather than direct military force. In Ancient Greece , hegemony denoted the politico–military dominance of a city-state over other city-states...
. Like the Creoles
Sierra Leone Creole people
The Sierra Leone Creoles, or Krios, are an ethnic group in Sierra Leone, descendants of West Indian slaves from the Caribbean, primarily from Jamaica; freed African American slaves from the Thirteen Colonies resettled from Nova Scotia; and Liberated Africans from various parts of Africa...
of Freetown, Americos rarely intermarried with Natives. For 133 years after independence, the Republic of Liberia was a one-party state ruled by the Americo-Liberian dominated True Whig Party.
History and settlement
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
to create new settlements on the Grain Coast of West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
between 1817 and 1867 with the aid of the American Colonization Society
American Colonization Society
The American Colonization Society , founded in 1816, was the primary vehicle to support the "return" of free African Americans to what was considered greater freedom in Africa. It helped to found the colony of Liberia in 1821–22 as a place for freedmen...
. These settlers founded one of two African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
colonies in West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
, theirs being the nation of Liberia, the other being Freetown, Sierra Leone, with their own descendants being referred to as 'Creoles'. The early settlers practiced their Christian faith
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, sometimes in combination
Syncretism
Syncretism is the combining of different beliefs, often while melding practices of various schools of thought. The term means "combining", but see below for the origin of the word...
with traditional African religious beliefs. They spoke an African American Vernacular English
African American Vernacular English
African American Vernacular English —also called African American English; less precisely Black English, Black Vernacular, Black English Vernacular , or Black Vernacular English —is an African American variety of American English...
, and few ventured into the interior or mingled with local African peoples. Americo-Liberian society, culture and political organization remain heavily influenced by that of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, particularly the country's Southeast. Today the Americo-Liberian population numbers about 150,000. Americo-Liberians were credited for Liberia's largest and longest economic expansion, especially William V.S. Tubman who did much to promote foreign investment and to bridge the economic, social, and political gaps between the descendants of the original settlers and the inhabitants of the interior. Most of the powerful old Americo-Liberian families fled to America in the 1980s after President William Tolbert was assassinated in a military coup.
Although they make up only about 5% of the Liberian population, Americo-Liberians dominated national politics from its founding until Samuel Doe
Samuel Doe
Samuel Kanyon Doe was the 21st President of Liberia, serving from 1986 until his assassination in 1990. He had previously served as Chairman of the People's Redemption Council from 1980 to 1986. He was the first indigenous head of state in Liberian history.Doe was a part of a rural tribe in inland...
led a military coup in 1980. There is controversy on how Americo-Liberians held on to power for so long. Some attribute it to the fact that divisions were based on "light-skin vs. dark skin" particularly because the first president was light skinned. Although observers point to the fact that during the Americo-Liberian reign the leaders were light, dark, and brown skinned meaning that theory is unlikely, others attribute it to a Masonic Order as opposed to colorism
Colorism
Colorism is prejudice or discrimination in which human beings are accorded differing social treatment based on skin color. The preference often gets translated into economic status because of opportunities for work. Colorism can be found across the world...
. A marble Masonic Lodge was once one of Monrovia's most impressive buildings and the bastion of Americo-Liberian power, and it remains intact today.
Americo-Liberian Legacy
While globalization has made African AmericanAfrican American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
culture a worldwide phenomenon, Americo-Liberians left a unique American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
imprint on Liberia that lingers until this day. Liberia, whose name means "land of the free," undoubtedly remains the most American of African countries . The Liberian flag, government, and constitution resemble those of the United States. The former residences of Americo-Liberian families (which still stand) resemble those of former majestic plantation homes in the old American South. Many native Liberians still talk with hints of African American Vernacular English
African American Vernacular English
African American Vernacular English —also called African American English; less precisely Black English, Black Vernacular, Black English Vernacular , or Black Vernacular English —is an African American variety of American English...
. By many accounts, Liberians easily integrate into African American communities. Liberian immigrants to the U.S. have the highest passport acceptance rates and the longest extension rates of any African nation. Although the old Americo-Liberians are gone, their houses and monuments crumbling, ordinary Liberians still look westward for help. In 2007 BET founder Robert Johnson
Robert L. Johnson
Robert L. Johnson is an American business magnate best known for being the founder of television network Black Entertainment Television , and is also its former chairman and chief executive officer...
called for "African Americans to support Liberia like Jewish Americans support Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
". Liberia now counts the United States as its strongest supporter in its democratization and reconstruction efforts. In 2007 Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice is an American political scientist and diplomat. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State, and was the second person to hold that office in the administration of President George W. Bush...
announced the U.S. State Department would cancel all of Liberia's debt. Since the end of Liberia's civil war in 2003, the United States has contributed over $750 million toward Liberia's reconstruction and development and more than $750 million to support the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL). The U.S. plans to commit another $342 million bilaterally and through UNMIL in fiscal year 2008. In February 2008, President Bush visited Liberia, where he held his fourth one-on-one meeting with President Sirleaf since Sirleaf's inauguration in January 2006. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is Africa's first female President. While Johnson-Sirleaf was born and raised in Monrovia around Americo-Liberian descendents and named after a former Americo-Liberian President (Hilary Richard Wright Johnson), she maintains that all of her grandparents were indigenous . But a recent interview with PBS's Tavis Smiley, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf stated that her father was of German descent.
African American presidents of Liberia
Americo-Liberians who were repatriated African Americans formed a cultural elite in LiberiaLiberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
. The following presidents of Liberia were American-born Americo-Liberian:
- Joseph Jenkins RobertsJoseph Jenkins RobertsJoseph Jenkins Roberts was the first and seventh President of Liberia. Born free in Norfolk, Virginia, USA, Roberts emigrated to Liberia in 1829 as a young man. He opened a trading store in Monrovia, and later engaged in politics...
, first and seventh president - Stephen Allen BensonStephen Allen BensonStephen Allen Benson served as the 2nd President of Liberia from 1856 to 1864. Prior to that, he served as the 3rd Vice President of Liberia from 1854 to 1856 under President Joseph Jenkins Roberts....
, second president - Daniel Bashiel WarnerDaniel Bashiel WarnerDaniel Bashiel Warner served as the 3rd President of Liberia from 1864 to 1868. Prior to this, he served as the 5th Vice President of Liberia under President Stephen Allen Benson from 1860 to 1864, and as the 3rd Secretary of State in the cabinet of Joseph Jenkins Roberts from 1854 to...
, third president - James Spriggs-Payne, fourth and eighth president
- Edward James RoyeEdward James RoyeEdward James Roye served as the fifth President of Liberia from 1870 to his overthrow and subsequent violent death in 1871. He had previously served as the 4th Chief Justice of Liberia from 1865 until 1868...
, fifth president - James Skivring SmithJames Skivring SmithJames Skivring Smith served as the 6th President of Liberia from 1871 to 1872. Prior to this, he served as the 8th Vice President of Liberia from 1870 to 1871 under President Edward James Roye and as Secretary of State from 1856 to 1860 in the cabinet of President Stephen Allen Benson.Smith was...
, sixth president - Anthony W. GardinerAnthony W. GardinerAnthony William Gardner served as the ninth President of Liberia from 1878 until 1883. He was the first of a series of True Whig presidents who held power uninterruptedly until 1980....
, ninth president - Alfred F. Russell, tenth president
- William D. Coleman, thirteenth president
- Garretson W. GibsonGarretson W. GibsonGarretson Wilmot Gibson was the 14th President of Liberia from 11 December 1900, to 4 January 1904. Born in Maryland, in the United States, his family emigrated to Liberia in 1835. After receiving an education in mission schools, he returned to Maryland to study theology...
, fourteenth president
See also
- Liberian nationality lawLiberian nationality lawThe Republic of Liberia was founded by free African slaves from america who formed the American Colonization Society and returned to establish a republic on African soil. Nationality law is based on its first constitutions enacted in 1847 and revised in 1955 and 1984. Its citizenship laws have been...
- African AmericanAfrican AmericanAfrican Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
- History of LiberiaHistory of LiberiaLiberia was set up by citizens of the United States as a colony for former African-American slaves. It is one of only two sovereign states in the world that were started by citizens of a political power as a colony for former slaves of the same political power: Sierra Leone was begun as a colony...
- LiberiaLiberiaLiberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
- Mississippi in Africa
- Martin DelanyMartin DelanyMartin Robinson Delany was an African-American abolitionist, journalist, physician, and writer, arguably the first proponent of American black nationalism. He was one of the first three blacks admitted to Harvard Medical School. He became the first African-American field officer in the United...
- McGill family (Monrovia)McGill family (Monrovia)The McGill family of Monrovia, Liberia was a free African American mulatto family from Baltimore, Maryland which immigrated to Monrovia in the 19th century. The McGills were one of the most prominent early Americo-Liberian families and they were one of the early American settlers of Liberia...
- Joseph Doe Smith
- Krio people
External links
- http://www.uniboa.org/migration.html