From King George of the former British Empire, to Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union, a dictator becomes an oppressor if he loses the will to enjoin what is right and forbid the wrong, regardless of how he came to power. In many cases where oppression occurs, a force opposing it will usually arise. If the opposition is successful in removing the initial dictator and gains control, unless it is motivated solely by and focused on correct justice, it will essentially exchange one dictatorship for another. This has been the case in Burma (now called Myanmar), Cuba, and Pakistan to name a few. However, we choose to focus on one country which resides on a continent full of wealthy natural resources whose founding history makes it unique when discussing how institutional racism can impact future generations even in the form of “freedom” – Liberia.

Originally founded by formerly enslaved Africans and African Americans, Liberia has been affected by the after effects of racism much like the descendants of slaves that are present in America. The presence of both groups presented problems for the status of white privilege. This was the case when Liberia was created and it remains true today. An organization known as The American Colonization Society (ACS) was formed in 1817 in order to send freed Black people back to Africa as opposed to giving them complete rights and dealing with them on a full human level. Additionally speaking, freed slaves would pose a constant reminder of the horrible human condition to which they were subjected and might have tried to form coalitions with those who remained in slavery thus creating the potential for an armed revolution. This actually occurred in the Haitian Revolution from the latter part of 1794 to the early 1800’s and served as an inspiration to those who were enslaved in America. The Haitians eventually gained their independence from France and declared themselves totally free by 1804. These events became a constant reminder of those who had no intent of seeing free Blacks threaten their profitability and status quo in America.

Initially organized by men such as Charles Mercer, James Madison, Henry Clay, all of whom were slave owners, the ACS soon got the support of some freed Blacks that thought they would get enough from the American society to be socially, politically and economically independent Liberians who were free to determine their own state of affairs. Thomas Jefferson even supported the concept of the organization. The ACS established a colony in 1822 on the western part of Africa which became known as Liberia in 1847. They would even sometimes purchase the freedom of those enslaved and pay their passage to Liberia.

Beginning in 1820, the ACS sent two ships with freed Blacks and a few white ACS officers back to Africa. The first ship arrived in Sierra Leone then sailed to Liberia. All White ACS members and 25% of the Blacks succumbed to yellow fever. The second ship arrived with all of its passengers in good health, but the former slaves found new challenges. The African leader of Cape Mesurado did not trust the White Americans nor the freed Blacks with them and adamantly refused to sell them land for the new settlement. The American military nicknamed this leader as “King Peter”. James Monroe who was now President of the USA, sent a Navy ship and other military personnel who at gunpoint forced King Peter to sell his territory. It is ironic that Africans were first forcibly taken from the shores of their homeland in order to build America for British expatriates, and that same force was used to rid America of the sons and daughters of Africa as if they were trash. This is the history of which Liberia began – in turmoil. The rest of its history and impact will be discussed further in part 2.