From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Americo-Liberians are a Liberian 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.[1]
Americo Liberians trace their ancestry to free-born and formerly enslaved African-Americans (who called
themselves Americo Liberians) who immigrated in the 1800s to become
founders of Liberia and other colonies
along the coast in places that would become Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone.[1]
Later, these African Americans integrated 5,000 liberated Africans
called Congos (descendents of freed slaves from the Congo Basins
who never made it to the Americas) and 346 Barbadian immigrants into the hegemony.[2] 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.[3]
History
and settlement
"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, one 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.[3]
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.[4]
Americo-Liberian Legacy
While globalization has made African American 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.[4]
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".[5] 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.[6] 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.[7]. 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.[8]
African American
presidents of Liberia
Americo-Liberians who were repatriated African Americans formed a cultural elite
in Liberia. The following presidents of Liberia were
American-born Americo-Liberian:
- Joseph Jenkins Roberts, first
and seventh president
- Stephen Allen Benson, second
president
- Daniel Bashiel Warner, third
president
- James Spriggs-Payne, fourth and eighth
president
- Edward
James Roye, fifth president
- James Skivring Smith, sixth
president
- Anthony W. Gardiner, ninth
president
- Alfred F. Russell, tenth president
- William D. Coleman, thirteenth
president
- Garretson W. Gibson, fourteenth
president
See also
References
External
links
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