1846 Liberian independence referendum

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Map of Liberia Colony in the 1830s created by the ACS, also showing Mississippi Colony and other state-sponsored colonies. Mitchell Map Liberia colony 1839.jpg
Map of Liberia Colony in the 1830s created by the ACS, also showing Mississippi Colony and other state-sponsored colonies.

An independence referendum was held in Liberia on 27 October 1846. The result was 52% in favor, [1] with independence being declared on 26 July 1847.

Contents

The American Colonization Society (ACS) had established the colony of Liberia in 1817, with an appointed governor. [2] The British did not acknowledge Liberian customs as the colony was not independent, [2] and during the mid-19th century there were continuous clashes between Liberian government and British merchants from Sierra Leone over payment of taxes, with the merchants arguing that the country had no right to impose taxes.

Following independence, a constitution that had been agreed on 26 July 1847 was approved in a referendum in September.

Background

In the United States, there was a movement to resettle free-born blacks and freed slaves, in Africa, believing blacks would face better chances for freedom in Africa than in the United States where their rights were still restricted. [3] The American Colonization Society (ACS) was founded in 1816 in Washington, D.C. for this purpose, by a group of prominent politicians and slaveowners. [4] Most African-Americans, who were native-born by this time, wanted to work toward justice in the United States rather than emigrate. [3] The ACS, supported by prominent American politicians such as Abraham Lincoln, Henry Clay, and James Monroe, believed repatriation of free African-Americans was preferable to widespread emancipation of slaves. [4] Similar state-based organizations established colonies in Mississippi-in-Africa and the Republic of Maryland, which were later annexed by Liberia. Colonizationists used their position to influence other former slaves to return to Africa. These individuals believed that "they could create their own version of the United States beyond the borders of a white republic." [5]

In 1822, the ACS began sending African-American volunteers to the Pepper Coast to establish a colony for African-Americans. By 1867, the ACS (and state-related chapters) had assisted in the migration of more than 13,000 African-Americans to Liberia. [6] These free African-Americans and their descendants married within their community and came to identify as Americo-Liberians. Many were of mixed race and educated in American culture; they did not identify with the indigenous natives of the tribes they encountered. They intermarried largely within the colonial community, developing an ethnic group that had a cultural tradition infused with American notions of political republicanism and Protestant Christianity. [7] They knew nothing of the indigenous cultures, languages or animist religion. Encounters with tribal Africans in the bush often developed into violent confrontations. The colonial settlements were raided by the Kru and Grebo from their inland chiefdoms. Because of feeling set apart and superior by their culture and education to the indigenous people, the Americo-Liberians developed as a small elite that held on to political power. It excluded the indigenous tribesmen from birthright citizenship in their own lands until 1904, in a repetition of the United States' treatment of Native Americans. [8]

The ACS and American-Africans mutually agreed that Liberia was its own separate entity. The colony needed some form of formal process to realize its statehood. [9] Even before, declaring independence the ACS was helping Liberia draft a constitution. [9] The first referendum for independence occurred in November 1846. The general population was badly split. The referendum relied on more information from legislature to make an adequate decision. Members of both sides decided to present arguments to sway votes. [9]

Many Liberians, especially the rich who were affected by the continuous regression by ACS, began to seek independence. During the mid-19th century, there were also continuous clashes between Liberian government and British merchants from Sierra Leone, with the merchants arguing that the country had no right to impose taxes. The elites in the colony wanted to declare sovereignty to overcome the issue, resulting in the declaration.

British Influence

British influence in Western Africa continued to expand when Sierra Leone was absorbed by Britain. Britain looked to expand its influence into more of Western African. [10] Colonists were pushed as their sovereignty was threatened by British traders. They attempted to attack their claims on their biggest source of revenues, custom duties. [10] American-Africans utilized this opportunity to consolidate support and establish independence to become a full taxing authority. After settling differences with Britain, Liberia aided Britain in the illegal slave trade. [11] Due to close relations in Western Africa, Britain was the first country to recognize Liberian independence. [12]

Other threats to Independence

Internally, Liberia struggled in establishing society as discrimination occurred between African-American, African tribes, Europeans, and Mulattoes. [13] Socioeconomic classes divided interests for the development of Liberia. Externally, other international powers were looking to take advantage of Liberian resources. European diplomats looked to threaten Liberia's sovereignty. [13] Establishing a strong tie to the United States proved vital for survival. Imperialism threatened to damage internal land claims. [13] Establishing colonial authority with the help of the ACS proved vital for Liberia's future. [13]

Legislative development

The early legislature struggled to divide itself from the American Colonization society. [14] Independence was an after thought as these African-Americans attempted to establish themselves on the Pepper Coast. [14] The assistance of the ACS was necessary for the colony continue. [14] Early colonies struggled to establish themselves from the indigenous groups. Monrovia's development allowed for the legislature and the state to development. [14] Demands for independence only grew starting in the late 1830s and early 1840s after industry and prices. [14] Starting in 1845, the Liberian colonies recognized that independence from the ACS was necessary to achieve their next step- independence. Fever for independence continued to grow as Liberian government wished to ensure freedom for its citizens. Government meetings in 1846 continued to embrace conversations of independence. [14]

Results

ChoiceVotes%
For52
Against48
Total100
Registered voters/turnout66
Source: Direct Democracy

Aftermath

On 26 July 1847, the settlers issued a Declaration of Independence and the better-organized political faction led by Joseph Jenkins Roberts who would go on to become the first President of Liberia won the struggle. [15] [16] However, opposition persisted as they rationalized that the ACS had other motives for their land and property. [14]

A constitution was also promulgated based on the political principles denoted in the United States Constitution; [17] [18] drafts of the document were very similar to the U.S Constitution. [14] The new constitution was approved in a referendum in September 1847, held alongside elections were held for president and vice president. [14] The new government was not able to broker a deal that included the land claims for the provinces. [14] They sent a Declaration of Independence signed by President and Governor, Roberts. [14]

Remembrance

Liberian cultural dances are showcased during a performance in Pennsylvania dedicated to Liberian Independence Day. Liberian Independence Day Celebration 2019.png
Liberian cultural dances are showcased during a performance in Pennsylvania dedicated to Liberian Independence Day.

26 July is now marked as independence day. [20] In America, Liberians utilize this date as the evolution of their relationship between the United States and Liberia. [20] Celebrations usually involve a music festival. [21] Domestically, Liberian Independence Day is one of the most recognized and celebrated holidays, alongside New Year's, Pioneer's Day, Armed Forces Day, African Liberation Day, Flag Day, and Thanksgiving Day. [22]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Liberia</span> Historical development of Liberia

Liberia is a country in West Africa founded by free people of color from the United States. The emigration of African Americans, both free and recently emancipated, was funded and organized by the American Colonization Society (ACS). The mortality rate of these settlers was the highest among settlements reported with modern recordkeeping. Of the 4,571 emigrants who arrived in Liberia between 1820 and 1843, only 1,819 survived (39.8%).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Liberia</span> National flag

The flag of Liberia or the Liberian flag, sometimes called the Lone Star, bears a close resemblance to the flag of the United States, representing Liberia's founding by former black slaves from the United States and the Caribbean. They are both part of the stars and stripes flag family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Colonization Society</span> 19th-century movement to send free people of color and freed slaves to Africa

The American Colonization Society (ACS), initially the Society for the Colonization of Free People of Color of America until 1837, was an American organization founded in 1816 by Robert Finley to encourage and support the migration of freeborn blacks and emancipated slaves to the continent of Africa. It was modeled on an earlier British colonization in Africa, which had sought to resettle London's "black poor".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Jenkins Roberts</span> 1st and 7th president of Liberia (1848-56, 1872-76)

Joseph Jenkins Roberts was an African-American merchant who emigrated to Liberia in 1829, where he became a politician. Elected as the first (1848–1856) and seventh (1872–1876) president of Liberia after independence, he was the first man of African descent to govern the country, serving previously as governor from 1841 to 1848. Born free in Norfolk, Virginia, Roberts emigrated as a young man with his mother, siblings, wife, and child to the young West African colony. He opened a trading firm in Monrovia and later engaged in politics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jehudi Ashmun</span> Religious leader and social reformer

Jehudi Ashmun was an American religious leader and social reformer from New England who became involved in the American Colonization Society. It founded the colony of Liberia in West Africa as a place to resettle free people of color from the United States.

Ralph Randolph Gurley was an American clergyman, an advocate of the separation of the races, and a major force for 50 years in the American Colonization Society. It offered passage to free black Americans to the ACS colony in west Africa. It bought land from chiefs of the indigenous Africans. Because of his influence in fundraising and education about the ACS, Gurley is considered one of the founders of Liberia, which he named.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liberian nationality law</span> History and regulations of Liberian citizenship

Liberian nationality law is regulated by the Constitution of Liberia, as amended; the Aliens and Nationality Law, and its revisions; and various international agreements to which the country is a signatory. These laws determine who is, or is eligible to be, a national of Liberia. The legal means to acquire nationality, formal legal membership in a nation, differ from the domestic relationship of rights and obligations between a national and the nation, known as citizenship. Nationality describes the relationship of an individual to the state under international law, whereas citizenship is the domestic relationship of an individual within the nation. Liberian nationality is based on descent from a person who is Black, regardless of whether they were born on Liberian soil, jus soli, or abroad to Liberian parents, jus sanguinis. The Black clause was inserted from the founding of the colony as a refuge for former slaves to prevent economically powerful communities from obtaining political power. It can be granted to persons with an affiliation to the country, or to a permanent resident who has lived in the country for a given period of time through naturalization.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Republic of Maryland</span> Country in West Africa (1834–1857)

The Republic of Maryland was a country in West Africa that existed from 1834 to 1857, when it was merged into what is now Liberia. The area was first settled in 1834 by freed African-American slaves and freeborn African Americans primarily from the U.S. state of Maryland, under the auspices of the Maryland State Colonization Society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hilary R. W. Johnson</span> Former President of Liberia

Hilary Richard Wright Johnson served as the 11th president of Liberia from 1884 to 1892. He was elected four times. He was the first Liberian president to be born in Africa. He had served as Secretary of State before his presidency, in the administration of Edward James Roye.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mississippi-in-Africa</span> Private colony in present-day Liberia

Mississippi-in-Africa was a colony on the Pepper Coast founded in the 1830s by the Mississippi Colonization Society of the United States and settled by American free people of color, many of them former slaves. In the late 1840s, some 300 former slaves from Prospect Hill Plantation and other Isaac Ross properties in Jefferson County, Mississippi, were the largest single group of emigrants to the new colony. Ross had freed the slaves in his will and provided for his plantation to be sold to pay for their transportation and initial costs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Back-to-Africa movement</span> Political movement in the United States during the 18th and 19th centuries

The back-to-Africa movement was based on the widespread belief among some European Americans in the 18th and 19th century United States that African Americans would want to return to the continent of Africa. In general, the political movement was an overwhelming failure; very few former slaves wanted to move to Africa. The small number of freed slaves who did settle in Africa—some under duress—initially faced brutal conditions, due to diseases to which they no longer had biological resistance. As the failure became known in the United States in the 1820s, it spawned and energized the abolitionist movement. In the 20th century, the Jamaican political activist and black nationalist Marcus Garvey, members of the Rastafari movement, and other African Americans supported the concept, but few actually left the United States.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape Mesurado</span> Headland in Liberia

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The history of African-American settlement in Africa extends to the beginnings of ex-slave repatriation to Africa from European colonies in the Americas.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Americo-Liberian people</span> Ethnic group of Liberia

Americo-Liberian people, are a Liberian ethnic group of African American, Afro-Caribbean, and liberated African descent. The sister ethnic group of Americo-Liberians are the Sierra Leone Creole people, who share similar ancestry and related culture. Americo-Liberians trace their ancestry to free-born and formerly enslaved African Americans who emigrated in the 19th century to become the founders of the state of Liberia. They identified there as Americo-Liberians. Some African Americans following resettlement in Canada also participated as founding settlers in Sierra Leone and other Recaptive repatriates settled in present-day Côte d'Ivoire.

The African-American diaspora refers to communities of people outside of the United States who are descended from people of African descent who were enslaved in the United States or its preceding European colonies along the east coast of North America.

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.

References

  1. ↑ "Elections in Liberia". African Elections. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  2. 1 2 Peaslee, Amos (1956). Constitutions of Nations Volume Ii France to New Zealand. Brill Archive.
  3. 1 2 "Background on conflict in Liberia". Friends Committee on National Legislation. July 30, 2003. Archived from the original on 14 February 2007. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
  4. 1 2 Maggie Montesinos Sale (1997). The Slumbering Volcano: American Slave Ship Revolts and the Production of Rebellious Masculinity, Duke University Press, 1997, p. 264. ISBN   0-8223-1992-6
  5. ↑ Mills, Brandon (2014). "The United States of Africa": Liberian Independence and the Contested Meaning of a Black Republic". Journal of the Early Republic. 34 (1): 79–107. doi:10.1353/jer.2014.0012. ISSN   0275-1275. JSTOR   24486932. S2CID   143753119.
  6. ↑ "The African-American Mosaic". Government of Liberia. 23 July 2010. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
  7. ↑ Wegmann, Andrew N (May 5, 2010). "Christian Community and the Development of an Americo-Liberian Identity, 1824–1878". Louisiana State University. Archived from the original on June 30, 2010.
  8. ↑ U.S. State Department. "Liberia".
  9. 1 2 3 Sullivan, Jo (1980). "Liberian Studies Journal". Liberian Studies Journal. 9: 51-124.
  10. 1 2 "Maps of Liberia, 1830 to 1870". Library of Congress. Retrieved March 24, 2020.History.com Editors (July 21, 2010). "Liberian independence proclaimed".
  11. ↑ History.com. Archived from the original on |archive-url= requires |archive-date= (help). Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  12. ↑ Abasiattai, Monday (1992). "The Search for Independence: New World Blacks in Sierra Leone and Liberia, 1787-1847". JSTOR. 23: 107–116 – via JSTOR.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Cavanagh 1, Veracini 2, Edward 1, Lorenzo 2 (2016). The Routledge Handbook of the History of Settler Colonialism. Taylor & Francis. pp. 1–470. ISBN   9781134828470.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Huberich, Charles (1947). Political and Legislative History of Liberia. Central Book Co.
  15. ↑ Cavanagh, Edward; Veracini, Lorenzo, eds. (2016). The Routledge Handbook of the History of Settler Colonialism. Routledge. p. 460. ISBN   9781134828548.
  16. ↑ Rodriguez, Junius P. (2015). Encyclopedia of Emancipation and Abolition in the Transatlantic World. Routledge. p. 1128. ISBN   9781317471790.
  17. ↑ Johnston, Harry Hamilton; Stapf, Otto (1906). Liberia, Volume I. Hutchinson & Co. ISBN   1-143-31505-7.
  18. ↑ Adekeye Adebajo (2002). Liberia's Civil War: Nigeria, ECOMOG, and Regional Security in West Africa. International Peace Academy. p. 21. ISBN   1588260526.
  19. ↑ "Liberian Independence Day Celebration 2019". RECAP. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  20. 1 2 Goins, Sonya (2019). "RESIDENTS CELEBRATE LIBERIAN INDEPENDENCE DAY". CCX Media. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Liberian Independence Day Music Festival". Maple Grove. July 20, 2019. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  22. ↑ Department of Commerce, United States (1971). Commerce Today. Michigan State University: U.S. Department of Commerce. p. 54.
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