Colony of Liberia
The Colony of Liberia, later the Commonwealth of Liberia, was a private colony of the American Colonization Society (ACS) beginning in 1822. It became an independent nation—the Republic of Liberia—after declaring independence in 1847.
Early status and settlements
It is unclear whether or not Liberia was ever technically a colony at all. Unlike most other colonies in the 19th century, it had no charter and had no official allegiance or relationship with a sovereign nation. As one early report explained, "The Colony belongs to, and is under the immediate control and jurisdiction of the Board of Managers of the American Colonization Society."[1] Even after it had declared independence in 1847 and established itself as a republic in 1848, few nations recognized its sovereignty. Indeed, the United States did not recognize Liberia's independence until 1862, after the southern states had seceded and formed the Confederate States of America at the beginning of the American Civil War.
The American Colonization Society did not act alone in creating the colony. Much of what would become Liberia was a collection of independent settlements sponsored by state colonization societies:
Preparations
In 1815,
First colony
After numerous failed negotiations to secure land along the coast, the American Colonization Society sent two agents,
Expansion and growth
According to J. N. Danforth, General Agent of the Society, as of 1832 "the legislature[s] of fourteen States, among which are New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Ohio, and Indiana, and nearly all the ecclesiastical bodies in the United States[,] have recommended the Society to the patronage of the American people."[14]
From the establishment of the colony, the American Colonization Society had employed mostly white agents to govern the colony. In 1842, Joseph Jenkins Roberts, a mixed-race, freeborn man from Petersburg, Virginia, became the first non-white governor of Liberia. In 1847, the legislature of Liberia declared itself an independent state, with Roberts as its first President.[citation needed]
Mortality
Tropical diseases were a major problem for the settlers, and the new immigrants to Liberia suffered the highest mortality rates since accurate record-keeping began.[15][16] Of the 4,571 emigrants who arrived in Liberia between 1820 and 1843, only 1,819—40%—were alive in 1843.[17][18] The ACS knew of the high death rate, but continued to send more people to the colony. Professor Shick writes:[17]
[T]he organization continued to send people to Liberia while very much aware of the chances for survival. The organizers of the A.C.S. considered themselves to be humanitarians performing the work of God. This attitude prevented them from accepting certain realities of their crusade. Any problems, including those of disease and deaths, were viewed as the trials and tribulations that God provides as a means of testing the fortitude of man. After every report of disaster in Liberia the managers simply renewed their efforts. Once the organization was formed and the auxiliaries established, a new force developed which also prevented the Society from admitting the seriousness of the mortality problem. The desire to perpetuate the existence of the corporate body became a factor. To have admitted that the mortality rate made the price of emigration far too high to be continued would have meant the end of the organization. The managers were seemingly unprepared to advise the termination of their project and by extension, their own jobs.
Notes
References
- ^ Colonization of the free colored population of Maryland, and of such slaves as may hereafter become free. Statement of facts, for the use of those who have not yet reflected on this important subject. Baltimore: Baltimore, Managers appointed by the state of Maryland. 1832. p. 10.
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ignored (help) - ^ Findlay, Alexander G. (1867). A Sailing Directory for the Ethiopic or Southern Atlantic Ocean Including the Coasts of South America and Africa (5th ed.). London: Richard Holmes Laurie.
- OCLC 7435450701. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
- OCLC 7435450701. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
- OCLC 7435450701. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
- ISBN 978-9988-2-1441-8.
- ISBN 978-9988-2-1441-8.
- OCLC 5548585910. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
- ISBN 978-9988-2-1441-8.
- OCLC 5548585910. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
- from the original on 30 July 2020. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
- ISBN 978-9988-2-1441-8.
- World Heritage Centre. Reference #6247. Archivedfrom the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
- ^ Danforth, J. N. (January 4, 1833). "The Colonization System No. 2". Vermont Chronicle (Bellows Falls, Vermont). p. 4.
- S2CID 46953564.
- ISBN 978-0226557243.
- ^ S2CID 31153316.[permanent dead link]
- ISBN 978-0801823091.