Liberia rejects independence

[QuoProQuid]

In 1840 the American Colonization Society, due to poor financial management and planning, was going bankrupt. Seeing Liberia as the source of their problems, they asked the colonists to declare an independent nation and relieve themselves of their African territories. This would lead to Liberia's first referendum in 1847 to determine whether it would want to become independent from the United States.

On October 26, 1846 a referendum was held to determine if the colony should become an independent nation. Despite the urgings of the ACS, the results were very close with only 51.8% supporting independence.

So, what if, the referendum had failed and Liberia had not declared independence?

 

[Malta]

Another one down the road? If Liberia was still with the US during the Civil War it might produce some interesting things.

 

[GrandpaTanaka]

Maybe more immigration of African-Americans from the US? Even more of a class hierarchy between these former slaves (some of whom were up to 7/8 white, and more importantly very proud of their American values) and the natives. Basically, what makes Liberia different from the countries around it would be a little more pronounced. Overall, I think it would be fairly similar to how it functioned in OTL. There's always the chance of statehood which would completely change the nature of the US, but I think it's unlikely.

Just tossing out ideas, my gut reaction. It could go many different ways.

 

[Pesterfield]

and more importantly very proud of their American values

Why, aren't those the same values that led them to get enslaved in the first place?

Instead of trying to import America would it be possible to get a Liberia movement that tries to throw off as much as their former oppressor as they can?

 

[Johnrankins]

Why, aren't those the same values that led them to get enslaved in the first place?

Instead of trying to import America would it be possible to get a Liberia movement that tries to throw off as much as their former oppressor as they can?

Because 1) They lived in the US all their lives and 2) Some of them were 7/8th White and 3) It was a way they could lord it over others (the natives) without guilt.

 

[GrandpaTanaka]

Why, aren't those the same values that led them to get enslaved in the first place?

I can't say why, but that's how it was. The African-American settlers formed an elitist society and looked down on the native Liberians. They tended to intermarry and were physically lighter-skinned in addition to dressing differently and being more formally educated. I could be wrong, but I think Samuel Doe was the first non Americo-Liberian President in the 1980s.

Instead of trying to import America would it be possible to get a Liberia movement that tries to throw off as much as their former oppressor as they can?

Sure, that's a possibility too but it is the exact opposite direction as what the original poster was asking. If there is a Liberia movement that vehemently rejects the US and all it stands for than they would even more likely to declare independence.

 

[GrandpaTanaka]

Because 1) They lived in the US all their lives and 2) Some of them were 7/8th White and 3) It was a way they could lord it over others (the natives) without guilt.

Well said. Also, most of them were free-born and so they didn't see the US as the place that oppressed them, but the place that freed their parents and gave them a chance. They supported the US education system and wanted to bring it back to Africa (so they could lord it over others. I'm not trying to make everyones motives seem pure)

 

[Johnrankins]

Let's not forget that Africa practiced slavery as well (And decades longer than the West did) so there was no real difference there. It isn't like Africa was morally superior there.

 

[Enigmajones]

I imagine the US would probably keep a small military presence in Liberia if it was an American colony. And the Americo-Liberians would serve the same position as they did in OTL, making for an interesting question, how tied to Liberia is America? How does Liberia benefit America?

Matter of fact I could imagine Lincoln working to establish Liberia as a independent ally of America.

 

[QuoProQuid]

A few things to be mindful of with this scenario:

1.) With the added burden of Liberia on their backs, it is probable that the American Colonization Society will be forced to declare bankruptcy and liquidate their holdings. This places the colony under the direct control of the US Federal government.

2.) Liberia was forced to cede significant chunks of land to the British colony of Sierra Leone and the French colony of Côte d'Ivoire shortly after it became independent and cut ties with the US. Being directly supported by a major power, would the Europeans be so willing to attack the colony? That either means a much larger Liberia than OTL or that the land will have to be bought off the US.

3.) Americo-Liberians made up only about 5% of the total population of Liberia and maintained that percentage until 1980. Continued connections with the United States may increase that number but I do not think it would do so significantly. If it remains a US possession for the next 20 years, it is possible that it could attract immigration from the former South.

 

[QuoProQuid]

Bump.

Any interest in this?

 

[Hoist40]

Was Liberia ever formally a colony of the USA? I thought it was a private venture with some support from some US politicians and some general support from US policy but it was never part of the USA.

So if they did not declare themselves independent but the American Colonization Society no longer could support them they would be defacto independent no matter what.

 

[Jonathan Edelstein]

It's entirely possible that the ACS would have told Liberia "you're on your own whether you want to be or not," or that Governor Roberts (who supported independence) would have ignored the result of the referendum and pushed a declaration of statehood through the legislature. Liberia had been progressing steadily toward statehood for some time (compare the 1824 and 1834 plans of civil government with the 1839 "commonwealth" constitution), and independence was the only realistic option at that point. The ACS couldn't support Liberia any more, and given that the Federal government didn't want to take responsibility even for the freed slaves the USN brought to places like New Georgia, it certainly wouldn't want to take over the whole colony. If the ACS went bankrupt, Liberia would be the hot potato, and the colonists themselves would be the only ones unable to pass it on.

 

[Simon]

A few things to be mindful of with this scenario:

1.) With the added burden of Liberia on their backs, it is probable that the American Colonization Society will be forced to declare bankruptcy and liquidate their holdings. This places the colony under the direct control of the US Federal government.

2.) Liberia was forced to cede significant chunks of land to the British colony of Sierra Leone and the French colony of Côte d'Ivoire shortly after it became independent and cut ties with the US. Being directly supported by a major power, would the Europeans be so willing to attack the colony? That either means a much larger Liberia than OTL or that the land will have to be bought off the US.

If the US government takes over control of the colony then I could see the British simply making then a financial offer for the land. With the American Colonization Society going bankrupt starting off the whole affair I would think the US would be more than receptive to the offer, being able to sell off land they have no real interest in to help defray the costs from this unexpected and unwanted hassle. Hell, they probably wouldn't even charge all that much.

3.) Americo-Liberians made up only about 5% of the total population of Liberia and maintained that percentage until 1980. Continued connections with the United States may increase that number but I do not think it would do so significantly. If it remains a US possession for the next 20 years, it is possible that it could attract immigration from the former South.

If they still owned if by the 1860s post-Civil War rather than 40 acres and a mule might we instead see them offered free transport to and land in Liberia instead? And if that doesn't work for people to encourage the newly freed slaves that they'd be 'better off' going back to Africa.

 

[Johnrankins]

If the US government takes over control of the colony then I could see the British simply making then a financial offer for the land. With the American Colonization Society going bankrupt starting off the whole affair I would think the US would be more than receptive to the offer, being able to sell off land they have no real interest in to help defray the costs from this unexpected and unwanted hassle. Hell, they probably wouldn't even charge all that much.



If they still owned if by the 1860s post-Civil War rather than 40 acres and a mule might we instead see them offered free transport to and land in Liberia instead? And if that doesn't work for people to encourage the newly freed slaves that they'd be 'better off' going back to Africa.

Too expensive, the US could only afford sending a tiny percentage "back to Africa" probably less than the birth rate.

 

[Mumby]

What could be interesting is if Americo-Liberians grow enough to integrate natives effectively due to a longer period of American rule, could a Liberian sense of Manifest Destiny emerge commanding them to bring all of Africa into a new and mighty United States of Liberia, a worthy daughter of America. If not the whole continent, at least stretching from sea to shining sea!

 

[Johnrankins]

What could be interesting is if Americo-Liberians grow enough to integrate natives effectively due to a longer period of American rule, could a Liberian sense of Manifest Destiny emerge commanding them to bring all of Africa into a new and mighty United States of Liberia, a worthy daughter of America. If not the whole continent, at least stretching from sea to shining sea!

No, the Brits would object to that if nothing else.

 

[Thande]

No, the Brits would object to that if nothing else.

Reverse Monroe Doctrine! Turnabout is fair play.

 

[QuoProQuid]

Was Liberia ever formally a colony of the USA? I thought it was a private venture with some support from some US politicians and some general support from US policy but it was never part of the USA.

So if they did not declare themselves independent but the American Colonization Society no longer could support them they would be defacto independent no matter what.

The American Colonization was never formally a part of the US government, no. However, at the height of the organization's popularity it did enjoy support from Congress. There were six major centers for settlement along the coastline set up by the ACS and a seventh was established by the government itself in the 1820s. The colony set up by the US government was eventually incorporated into the rest of Liberia after interest waned.

It's entirely possible that the ACS would have told Liberia "you're on your own whether you want to be or not," or that Governor Roberts (who supported independence) would have ignored the result of the referendum and pushed a declaration of statehood through the legislature. Liberia had been progressing steadily toward statehood for some time (compare the 1824 and 1834 plans of civil government with the 1839 "commonwealth" constitution), and independence was the only realistic option at that point. The ACS couldn't support Liberia any more, and given that the Federal government didn't want to take responsibility even for the freed slaves the USN brought to places like New Georgia, it certainly wouldn't want to take over the whole colony. If the ACS went bankrupt, Liberia would be the hot potato, and the colonists themselves would be the only ones unable to pass it on.

I thought of this too but wasn't really sure how to word it. This sort of puts Liberia in legal limbo where it is de facto independent but not recognized as such. I'm not sure how this would impact the cultural identity of the colonists and its foreign relations though.

If I were a part of Congress during this though, I would just offer Liberia the option of being a Freely Associated State/ Protectorate. It gets rid of the various diplomatic and legal headaches while improving the prestige of the US on the national stage.

If the US government takes over control of the colony then I could see the British simply making then a financial offer for the land. With the American Colonization Society going bankrupt starting off the whole affair I would think the US would be more than receptive to the offer, being able to sell off land they have no real interest in to help defray the costs from this unexpected and unwanted hassle. Hell, they probably wouldn't even charge all that much.

That isn't an unlikely scenario, especially if there are complications surrounding the American Colonization Society's bankruptcy.

Would it be possible for the US to do a land trade with the British? The US government relinquishes Liberia in exchange for a slightly more favorable border in Oregon territory?

 

[Jonathan Edelstein]

The American Colonization was never formally a part of the US government, no. However, at the height of the organization's popularity it did enjoy support from Congress. There were six major centers for settlement along the coastline set up by the ACS and a seventh was established by the government itself in the 1820s. The colony set up by the US government was eventually incorporated into the rest of Liberia after interest waned.

Wikipedia does refer to a seventh colony established by the US government, but I'm not so sure that's accurate. I'm fairly familiar with the colonization society archives of the time, and I've never seen any reference to a federal colony. I think the Wikipedia article is referring to New Georgia, which is the place where the US Navy deposited slaves who they confiscated from captured slave ships. If so, then it wasn't really a Federal colony, because the government didn't supervise or support it.

I thought of this too but wasn't really sure how to word it. This sort of puts Liberia in legal limbo where it is de facto independent. I'm not sure how this would impact the cultural identity of the colonists and its foreign relations though.

It might introduce a narrative of betrayal into their relationship with the United States, which would complicate their belief in America as their motherland and might even cause them to look elsewhere for a patron.

If I were a part of Congress during this though, I would just offer Liberia the option of being a Freely Associated State/ Protectorate. It gets rid of the various diplomatic and legal headaches while improving the prestige of the US on the national stage.

One option would be for the Federal government to just assume responsibility under the "commonwealth" constitution of 1839, which essentially did make Liberia a free associated state. This constitution called for an appointed governor, an elected lieutenant governor and an elected legislature, and the government could take over the ACS' role of appointing the governor and its veto power over legislation. My guess is that it would revert to appointing white governors, though, which might cause the Liberians to give independence a second look.