Americo-Liberians

Americo-Liberian

Regions with significant populations
Monrovia
Languages
Liberian English
Religion
Christianity
Related ethnic groups
Sierra Leone Creole

Americo-Liberians are a Liberian ethnicity of African American descent. The sister ethnic group of Americo Liberians are the Sierra Leone Creole people. Most of them trace their ancestry to free-born and formerly enslaved African-Americans who immigrated in the 1800s to become founders of Liberia and other colonies along the coast in places that would become Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone. Later Americo Liberians integrated 5000 Congos (descendents of freed slaves from the Congo Basins who never made it to the Americas) and 346 Barbadian immigrants into the hegemony. Like the Creoles of Freetown, Americos rarely intermarried with Natives. For 133 years after independence, the Republic of Liberia was a one-party state ruled by the Americo-Liberian-dominated True Whig Party.

History and settlement

Some 13,000 persons crossed the Atlantic to create new settlements on the Grain Coast of West Africa between 1817 and 1867 with the aid of the American Colonization Society. These settlers founded one of two African American colonies in West Africa, the other colony founded by African Americans was in Freetown, Sierra Leone and their own descendants were called 'Creoles'. The early settlers practiced their Christian faith, sometimes in combination with traditional African religious beliefs. They spoke an African American Vernacular English, and few ventured into the interior or mingled with local African peoples. Americo-Liberian society, culture and political organization remain heavily influenced by that of the United States, particularly the country's Southeast. Today the Americo-Liberian population numbers about 150,000. Americo-Liberians were credited for Liberia's largest and longest economic expansion, especially William V.S. Tubman who did much to promote foreign investment and to bridge the economic, social, and political gaps between the descendents of the original settlers and the inhabitants of the interior. [1].

Although they make up only about 5% of the Liberian population, Americo-Liberians dominated national politics from its founding until Samuel Doe led a military coup in 1980. There is controversy on how Americo-Liberians held on to power for so long. Some attribute it to the fact that divisions were based on "light-skin vs. dark skin" particularly because the first president was light skinned. Although observers point to the fact that during the Americo-Liberian reign the leaders were light, dark, and brown skinned meaning that theory is unlikely. Other experts attribute it to a Masonic Order as opposed to colorism.

Genealogy

Because most Americo Liberians are descendants of Black American slaves they can trace their genealogy through slave records (http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/Arrivals/liberia.htm). Some people who are considered Americo Liberians are of 'Congo' descent and are descendants of freed slaves or recaptives who were rescued and taken to Congo Town, Liberia. Reginald Goodridge is a descendant of the recaptive slaves from the Congo.

See also

• Liberian nationality law
• African American
• History of Liberia
• Liberia

External links

• http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0334,dwyer,46369,1.html
• http://uncpress.unc.edu/chapters/barnes_journey.html
• http://pages.prodigy.net/jkess3/People.html
• http://limany.org/article_2007_09_30_4426.html
• http://limany.org/article_2007_09_22_1913.html
• http://limany.org/article_2007_09_18_1436.html
• http://limany.org/article_2007_09_2_4259.html
• http://members.aol.com/Liberia99/

Sources

• http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0334,dwyer,46369,1.html
• http://www.theperspective.org/2004/oct/bookpeople.html
• http://www.theperspective.org/checks.html
• http://www.theperspective.org/uglypavala.html
• http://www.theperspective.org/articles/0427200601.html
• http://www.theperspective.org/country_congo.html
• http://www.theperspective.org/saga.html
• http://www.theperspective.org/alligators.html
• http://www.theperspective.org/polygyny.html
• http://www.theperspective.org/thetruth.html
• http://www.theperspective.org/notpeterpan.html
• http://www.theperspective.org/vengeance.html
• http://www.theperspective.org/whoarewe.html
• http://www.tcnj.edu/~magazine/07Spring/macdellacooper.html
• http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/libhtml/liberia.html (Histroy)
• http://www.liberiaseabreeze.com/korto-williams-1.html
• http://www.bnvillage.co.uk/black-roots-village/77249-liberians.html
• http://www.disc.wisc.edu/Liberia/
• http://www.inmotionaame.org/migrations/links.cfm;jsessionid=f83054731197091203363?migration=4&bhcp=1
• http://ccharity.com/liberia/monroviacensus.htm
• http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0334,dwyer,46369,1.html
• http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1011/p06s01-woaf.html
• http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=lnqPFG2c79UC&pg=PA23&dq=James+Spriggs+Payne+mulatto&sig=_znBqs3Q6HkARRg6xNaJlHHrEGg#PPA24,M1
• http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=FaEs88IpUzEC&pg=PA99&dq=James+Spriggs+Payne+mulatto&sig=ORg1MSmwiG6uW1pvF8DIPjGbsj0
• http://docsouth.unc.edu/church/liberian/liberian.html
• http://uncpress.unc.edu/chapters/barnes_journey.html
• http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/slavery/freedom.html
• http://books.google.com/books?id=puvJZisZAYkC&pg=PA186&lpg=PA186&dq=perry+lockes+sierra+leone&source=web&ots=T3AvXoo1q3&sig=yMXxbeO3zM23Il4XdNewW8wdzlU#PPA185,M1