The History of the Settlers of Liberia

Culturally Diverse Country Struggles with Self Identity

Jan 27, 2009

Liberia settler's history of political unrest led to strained relations.

The Republic of Liberia is located in West Africa and has a total area of 111, 369 square kilometers. It is a country whose long struggle with self-identity as evident through its flag, which is a close look-alike of the American flag. Formerly known as Monrovia, the country acquired the name Liberia (Land of Freedom), whose origin is the British word “liberty” from the fact that former black slaves were settled here in the nineteenth century. To date however, the population stemming from the freed slaves has never risen above 5 percent of the country’s population despite the fact that they influenced the politics, Liberia’s geographical boundaries and aspects of the country’s social life.

The Ethnicity of Liberia

In the 1700’s, ethnic groups from surrounding countries and European-African settlers settled in the region, thus making Liberia a culturally diverse country. From the 1800 however, the United States established Liberia as its colony through land purchase and invasion with the intention of settling the freed slaves. The country became an independent nation in 1847. Long before this in 1841, the Americans had shown their willingness to leave the governance of the country to Americo-Liberians by allowing J.J. Roberts to become governor of Liberia.

In the period lasting between 1847 and 1980, Americo-Liberian leaders led the country and this led to strained relations between the minority ruling class and the majority indigenous people who made up 95 percent of the country’s population. Some of the political unrest that resulted from this strained relations were the 1856 Kru and Grebo was that saw a former colony join Liberia as the Maryland County. In 1864, there was conflict between the coastal and inland tribes, in the period between 1875 and 1876; there was war in Cape Palmas and another uprising in 1886. Internal wars between the different tribes were also recorded between the 1890’s to 1920.

Government and Financial Crisis

In 1930, the then president, Charles King resigned after his government was accused by the League of Nations of contracting indigenous Liberians as slaves. He was also accused of intimidating and suppressing them thereby denying them the chance to fully realize their potential. Throughout the Americo-Librarian rule, the United States would help the Liberian government suppress rebellion from the indigenous people. This however attracted the attention of other nations like France and Britain, whose attempts to annex Liberia were swiftly thwarted by the US. In 1912, 6 years after Liberia first experienced a financial crisis fueled by ruinous loans from Britain, the US engaged the two countries and Germany to advance Liberia $1.7 million repayable in forty years. Throughout history, America was a great ally of Liberia. During international wars that USA was involved in, Liberia supported whichever side the United States favored.

The military coup-de tat that overthrew Samuel Doe from power in 1989 marked the end of Americo-Liberian rule in Liberia. This however led to a series of tribal and civil wars that lasted up to 2004 despite the election of Charles Taylor as president in 1997. When the then government headed by Charles Bryant managed to strike a peace deal and disarm most Liberian fighters.

References

Gershoni, Y. “Black Colonialism: The Americo-Liberian Scramble for Hinterland” Westview Press. 1985

Schick, Tom W. “Behold the Promised Land: A History of Afro-American Settler Society in Nineteenth-Century Liberia” Johns Hopkins University Press. 1980

The copyright of the article The History of the Settlers of Liberia in African History is owned by Kristin Peoples. Permission to republish The History of the Settlers of Liberia in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.