LIBERIA AND AMERICA

In fact, Liberia was, if unofficially, America's first overseas colony, founded in 1822 by the American Colonization Society, which ruled it until it gained independence in 1847 -- peacefully, but on the initiative of the Liberian settlers rather than by grant (Liebenow, 1987, pp. 16-17). Between 1822 and 1904, some 20,000 African-Americans emigrated to Liberia, most in the early decades, but some 4000 in the decades after the Civil War.

Strong ties of identity and culture remained even after immigration trailed off. For over a century up till 1980, Liberia was governed by the True Whig Party, its named derived from the 19th century American political party. The Americo-Liberians, as the settlers' descendants are called, continued to identify strongly with the United States -- only to often discover, to their dismay, that Americans were scarcely aware of them, or of Liberia itself.

The American colonial origin of Liberia also left its mark in the form of a social contradiction that dominated 20th-century Liberia, and still deeply marks Liberian society. The Americo-Liberians were of African

. . .
few house slaves were not important to the economy, slavery was increasingly abolished. In the South, where slave labor remained important to the agricultural economy, abolition was not seriously considered. However, the tobacco plantations were in gradual decline, and many people supposed that slavery would eventually die out in the South as well. The Slavery Question Emerges From about 1800 on, however, two contrary forces acted to widen the national division over slavery. On the one hand, abolitionist sentiment in the North was on the rise, as people increasingly challenged the perpetuation of slavery in a nation that claimed to be founded on the ideals of Liberty and Equality. This had already been a factor in the abolition of slavery on some northern states. At the same time, however, Eli Whitney's cotton gin made cotton a highly profitable cash crop in the South. Only a few regions in the South had been suited to growing tobacco, but cotton could be grown far more widely. The booming textile industry in England provided an eager overseas market for cotton. The intensive labor required to grow and pick cotton was regarded as wellsuited to plantations worked by gangs of slaves. Thus, instead of gradually dyin
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
AfricanAmericans American, Colonization Society, Brought Liberia's, Eli Whitney's, Africandescended Christians, Congress Constitution, American Revolution, Repatriation Option, Proclamation Meanwhile, Resettlement Africa, slave trade, freed slaves, slave ships, freed slave, former slaves, captives freed, liebenow 1987, freed slave ships, civil war, slave trade extended, trade outlawed, american colonization society, slaves africa, slave trade outlawed, captives freed slave,
Approximate Word count = 1982
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)

More Essays on LIBERIA AND AMERICA