Latest / Voices Of Life / Did You Know? - Liberia: Almost a United States Colony — But Not!

Transcript

Did You Know? - Liberia: Almost a United States Colony — But Not! · Voices Of Life

• 0:00
  Welcome to the Did You Know series of the Voices
• 0:03
  of Life podcast, a ministry of the Church for
• 0:07
  Life. A place where faith speaks, where history
• 0:11
  breathes, and where hope finds its voice again.
• 0:16
  Each episode is crafted to inspire, to strengthen,
• 0:20
  and to guide you on your walk with God. And now,
• 0:24
  to lead us through today's journey. Here. is
• 0:29
  your host, Pastor David. Hello, Voices of Life
• 0:34
  family. I'm Pastor David. And today we're exploring
• 0:37
  one of the most remarkable stories in world history,
• 0:40
  the story of Liberia, a nation whose very foundation
• 0:44
  is tied to the United States, to the struggle
• 0:47
  for freedom, and the hopes of formerly enslaved
• 0:51
  people seeking a new beginning. Did you know
• 0:54
  Liberia began... as a privately administered
• 0:58
  American colony. Liberia was established and
• 1:01
  administered by the American Colonization Society.
• 1:05
  The ACS was founded in 1816 and brought together
• 1:08
  abolitionists, politicians, clergy, and even
• 1:13
  slaveholders, all united around one idea. Relocate
• 1:17
  free black Americans to Africa and help them
• 1:20
  build a new nation. This was not a fringe idea.
• 1:24
  It was funded, organized, and supported by major
• 1:27
  American institutions. Although Liberia was not
• 1:30
  a U .S. territory, the U .S. government did pay
• 1:35
  for ships, pay for supplies, paid for the relocation,
• 1:39
  paid for military protection, and paid for the
• 1:43
  early administrative support for this colony.
• 1:47
  So the U .S. government provided financial assistance
• 1:49
  and the ACS exercised governmental authority
• 1:51
  over the colony. This means the United States
• 1:55
  did pay directly and indirectly for thousands
• 1:58
  of black Americans to relocate, receive land,
• 2:02
  receive education, and participate in building
• 2:05
  a new republic. Many Americans at the time viewed
• 2:09
  this as immediate restitution, compensation through
• 2:13
  relocation, land, education, and nation building.
• 2:18
  Did you know the black Americans who relocated
• 2:21
  to Liberia arrived with American education? american
• 2:24
  literature american trades and american civic
• 2:27
  training they brought western style schooling
• 2:30
  english literacy christian church organization
• 2:34
  constitutional knowledge maritime and agricultural
• 2:39
  skills american architecture and building methods
• 2:43
  this gave america librarians a major developmental
• 2:48
  advantage compared to many indigenous communities
• 2:51
  in West Africa at the time who lived in traditional
• 2:54
  societies with different forms of governance,
• 2:57
  architecture, and education. This is not a judgment.
• 3:01
  It is historical reality. And here's why. Americo
• 3:07
  -Liberians built cities. Americo -Liberians built
• 3:10
  churches. Americo -Liberians built schools. Americo
• 3:14
  -Liberians built a constitutional republic. and
• 3:17
  Americo -Liberians built Western -style homes
• 3:20
  and government buildings. Liberia's early architecture
• 3:23
  looked like Maryland, Virginia, and the Carolinas
• 3:26
  because Americo -Liberians brought American building
• 3:30
  style with them. Here is an argument that goes
• 3:34
  both ways in history. Many Americans in the 19th
• 3:38
  century believed that funding relocation to Liberia
• 3:41
  was a form of early reparations. Their reasoning
• 3:45
  was the U .S. paid for the transportation, the
• 3:47
  supplies, the acquisition, and most importantly,
• 3:51
  education and missionary schools, which is something
• 3:55
  that slaves didn't have at the time when they
• 3:57
  were enslaved. And finally, the U .S. paid for
• 3:59
  the creation of this new black republic. Those
• 4:03
  who accepted relocation received land, education,
• 4:06
  political power, and a nation. And historically,
• 4:09
  some argued, those who chose to remain in the
• 4:12
  united states made a different choice and cannot
• 4:14
  claim the restitution that was offered through
• 4:18
  colonization this is a historical argument but
• 4:21
  not a universal conclusion but it absolutely
• 4:23
  valid to present this information on liberia's
• 4:28
  story did you know liberia is one of the most
• 4:31
  heavily forest nations on earth i mean their
• 4:34
  rainforest is very dense They have waterways,
• 4:39
  lots of waterways, but they're not navigable
• 4:41
  because of a lot of falls. 80 % of the country
• 4:45
  is not transversable because of that lush and
• 4:49
  dense rainforest. But the rainforest covers most
• 4:52
  of the nation, probably about 80%. Makes road
• 4:56
  construction extremely difficult. Contains rare
• 4:59
  species found nowhere else on Earth. And shapes
• 5:03
  Liberian culture and daily life. Liberia's rainforest
• 5:06
  is part of the Upper Guinean Forest, one of the
• 5:10
  world's most important ecological treasures.
• 5:13
  Today's Liberia is rebuilding, growing, and strengthening
• 5:16
  its democratic institutions. Its economy is expanding
• 5:19
  through mining, agriculture, timber, maritime
• 5:23
  services, tourism, and conservation. Liberia
• 5:27
  remains one of the oldest republics in Africa,
• 5:29
  a constitutional nation for the people. One other
• 5:33
  point about Liberia. Liberia had a need for funding
• 5:37
  back in the colonial days because you had England
• 5:41
  on one side of them and you had the French on
• 5:43
  the other that had colonized the countries nearby.
• 5:46
  And they were wanting to take advantage of Liberia's
• 5:49
  new nation. But instead, Firestone, yes, the
• 5:55
  tire maker, went ahead and worked out a contract
• 5:59
  with the government. They paid off all their
• 6:01
  debts because they did owe quite a lot of money.
• 6:04
  And they arranged for jobs and other types of
• 6:09
  manufacturing to be done there in Liberia because
• 6:11
  what did they need more than anything being a
• 6:13
  tire company? Rubber. So they planted acres upon
• 6:17
  acres of rubber trees. And this worked out very
• 6:21
  well for Firestone. So a private company, something
• 6:25
  that some people today would say a capitalistic...
• 6:30
  business that ended up saving a nation. And it
• 6:34
  did. So that is one little point to look at in
• 6:38
  Liberia that probably is obscured most of the
• 6:41
  time because nobody ever mentions it. So we do.
• 6:45
  So did you know Liberia is the only country in
• 6:48
  Africa founded by Americans, funded by the U
• 6:50
  .S. support, built by formerly enslaved people
• 6:53
  who carried American education and culture with
• 6:56
  them? modeled on the U .S. Constitution, and
• 6:59
  covered by one of the densest forests on earth.
• 7:03
  It's a story so complex, but yet courageous and
• 7:08
  deeply intertwined with America's own history.
• 7:10
  Thank you for joining us today. This has been
• 7:12
  the Voices of Life podcast, the ministry of the
• 7:15
  Church for Life. I'm Pastor David. Thank you
• 7:18
  for joining us today on the Voices of Life podcast,
• 7:22
  a ministry of the Church for Life. As we close,
• 7:28
  may the stories we share strengthen your faith,
• 7:31
  steady your heart, and remind you that God is
• 7:34
  present in every chapter of your journey. If
• 7:37
  this episode encouraged you, share it with someone
• 7:40
  who needs hope. And until we meet again, walk
• 7:45
  in truth, stand in courage, and keep listening
• 7:48
  for the voice that leads you forward. This has
• 7:52
  been Voices of Life. Peace be with you.