Posted on 10/29/2014 6:16:13 AM PDT by Arthur Wildfire! March
Leftists found a way [as usual] to warp US history once again -- this time regarding Liberia of all things!
Here's the real story and it won't take much time.
It began as a beautiful [though imperfect] idea in England, a spanking new concept that helped revolutionize the world's view of slavery. Brits formed a FREE colony for escaped slaves called 'the Sierra Leone Province of Freedom'. This ultimately became the sovereign nation of Sierra Leone -- perhaps the first nation on earth founded on humanitarian ideals.
This inspired a New Jersey Yankee to do the same -- Robert Finley in 1817. He founded 'the American Colonization Society', also known as 'The Society for the Colonization of Free People of Color of America'.
Free black Americans already existed [one of whom was shot in the Boston Massacre] but Finley felt bad for them. They were so few in number, and the concept of prejudice was ensconced worldwide in EVERY race back then. To have an inkling of how bad worldwide racism was, just stop and think about entire regions where people look so much alike.
European nations probably enjoyed the greatest diversity of appearance on the planet prior to the USA, and thus it's logical to assume the most racial diversity. When Brits became the earth's first strident anti-racists in the 1790s, some Americans followed their lead.
Yes, our young nation had its share of racism. But new ideas trickled through this young nation, often brought by pioneers such as Paul Cuffee, a wealthy Sierra Leone supporter. Cuffee fired the American imagination and even convinced U.S. congressmen that sending former slaves to a free colony of their own back in Africa was a noble endeavor.
There was no 'profit' in such a venture. In fact, it was incredibly expensive. Not only would ships need to be supplied, but so would the new colony itself. And not just food. The colony would need guns, cannon, and ammunition to defend itself from pirates uncivilized African tribes. And obtaining slaves for the purpose of freeing them was expensive in itself.
When Cuffee died in 1817, the American Colonization Society was formed that same year, mostly by Quakers and other deeply religious humanitarians. Other members were actually slave owners who wanted at least some of their slaves to be free and happy once again. In fact, some slave owners bought slaves for the sole purpose of sending them to freedom in Liberia.
Former slaves were shipped to Liberia by the THOUSANDS at great expense. It seemed to them that an African would have more control over his own destiny in the land of his origin, rather than being surrounded by prejudiced neighbors here in the US.
Free black Americans were only 2.5% of the population, and some European colonists were so ignorant about racial differences that they thought Africans were another species. [It was common in every nation at the time for many of all races to to think that other races were non-human. Taller people were 'giants'. Native Americans first thought white men were 'gods'. Etc. On the flip side, people looked at other creatures and thought they were actually human or 'part-human'.] Under such circumstances, it was hard for many to imagine that abolition would actually succeed without colonization.
Leftists claim that 'many' white Americans feared the 'rapid rise' of free black people. Sure there were some fanatics, but I suspect such fears are exaggerated today by loony leftists. It was easy to underestimate a group of people who were denied education and nutrition just as Germans later underestimated the qualities of Jews. There had, however, been the Gabriel Prosser Slave Riot in 1800, and that did make people uncomfortable. [Gabriel Prosser was also a humanitarian in his own way who wanted to free slaves through violence.]
The American planners of Liberia also underestimated the challenges that these new colonists would face in Africa. If they had known, the entire project may never have taken off. First Yellow Fever struck. Three white colonists had come to help, and all three died along with twenty two black immigrants. The rest evacuated the first colony.
The next effort was on Perseverance Island [named by the colonists]. This second colony was managed sternly, and it held together despite many armed conflicts. In 1842 it finally had a non-white leader with its own vigorous legislature that declared independence in 1847.
To this day the Liberians primarily speak English, and their population is four million. Interestingly, the descendents of the colonists are Americo-Liberian and many of them still believe they are racially superior to Africans who are indigenous to the area. They refused to allow indigenous Africans any right to vote. And while many indigenous people assimilated, violent clashes were frequent.
By 1877 Liberia became subjegated to 'one party rule' -- the 'True Whig Party'. Trade dried up, and Liberia ended up being burdened by massive debt. The US sent aid and has helped Liberia modernize, but such progress has been slow. In 1980, Liberia was toppled by a coup. They remained allies with the US during the Cold War, but it was no longer a warm friendship.
By 1989, a civil war resulted in a multi-faction split. Liberia was then balkanized, and foreign powers sponsered different groups. Liberia descended into the bloodiest Civil War in the entire African continent that lasted until 1995. They rebuilt largely on 'blood diamonds' and 'illegal' timber. But more rebellions flared up until 2003 during the Bush Administration. Elections were supervised by the UN in 2005.
What would make the Quakers and other hard working humanitarians feel regret is to learn how prosperous black Americans are today compared to Liberians. While well-intentioned, they underestimated how powerful the US melting pot would be in uniting our nation prior to the meddling of President Obama and other hate-mongers.
And they failed to appreciate how rare our Founding Fathers were. Liberia was not as blessed as the US in God-inspired visionaries. What we have here in the US is a more than a rare thing -- we are the most blessed nation on earth. And for our part we've been nothing but a blessing to Liberia. Their problems have been mostly of their own making.
o o o o
Added note: As usual, leftists like to drop manure on US virtue. They even managed to smear the history of Liberia.
Leftist propagandists of today claim that Liberia was built on US prejudicial fear. They cite KKK propaganda to 'prove' it, and there's no doubt that some of that agitprop originated from pre-Civil War days. But there was a cheaper way to overcome such fear -- violence.
Lynching mobs, tarring & feathering, and other pastimes were a form of recreation even as late as the 1950s when President Truman shrugged off the lynching of blacks.
I'm not steeped in the topic of how 'terrified' some of our forefathers were of blacks back in the early 1800s. But let's see, they braved savages for new real estate. Native Americans were so violent that women outnumbered men two-to-one. Our forefathers has just defeated the most powerful army in the world [the red coats] in numerous battles and humiliated them at Yorktown. I just don't see them cringing over a few black neighbors so badly that they throw money at the Liberia project.
On the one hand you could charter several thousands of these 'dreaded' black Americans to sail thousands of miles across the Atlantic, or you could melt down some lead and re-use a rope. History is pretty clear how our forefathers tackled their fears -- the cheaper way.
I have trouble believing leftist dogma and be surprised if it's true that our forefathers' intentions.
So for now I conclude that Liberia is mainly a result of profound Christian kindness. And I challenge anyone to show historic evidence that it was not.
As for our efforts to help fight Liberia's ebola epidemic, how DARE the left portray this as an act of 'penance'!
Self-inflicted poverty: Walter E. Williams teaches how African socialism brings despair
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1162879/posts
[Includes Liberia]
Sadly, that same ignorance exists in some Americans even to this day.
I don’t know what you mean by this: “or you could melt down some lead and re-use a rope”.
Leftists are trying to have their cake and eat it too. Lynchings resulted from racism as well as from outrages in the community. Everyone concedes that point. But did racism found Liberia? Irrational fear? Or was Liberia result of Christian kindness?
Racists filled with irrational fear — would they rather use a little rope or would terrified racists prefer to ship the ‘dangerous’ free Africans [who were only 2.5% of the population at the time] back to Africa?
Leftists believe that Liberia was founded on racist fear. That doesn’t make any sense to me since our forefathers were all too happy to form lynching mobs as a way to pass the time. They enjoyed being vigilantees [most of them anyway].
Conclusion: Liberia was founded on Christian kindness.
The re-election of Obama, however, is definite proof that our nation has come a long way.
I wonder how many of our Founding Fathers could have even imagined such racial harmony back then?
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