The Americo-Liberian settlers do not relate well…
1840 CE to 1851 CE
They know nothing of their cultures, languages, or animist religion, and are not interested in learning.
The colonial settlements are raided by the Kru and Grebo from their inland chiefdoms.
Encounters with tribal Africans in the bush often become violent confrontations.
In Slaves to Racism: An Unbroken Chain from America to Liberia, Benjamin Dennis and Anita Dennis argue that the Americo-Liberians replicated the only society most of them knew: the racist culture of the American South.
Believing themselves different from and culturally and educationally superior to the indigenous peoples, the Americo-Liberians develop as an elite minority that holdd on to political power.
They treat the natives the way American whites had treated them: as inferiors.
The natives cannot vote and cannot speak unless spoken to.
Just as American Blacks are prohibited from marrying or having sexual relationships with white women, the natives cannot marry Americo-Liberian women
Even when some natives become educated, they will be excluded from government positions, except for a token few.
Indigenous tribesmen will not enjoy birthright citizenship in their own land until 1904.
Americo-Liberians encourage religious organizations to set up missions and schools to educate the indigenous peoples.
Images
Map of Liberia Colony in the 1830s, created by the ACS, and also showing Mississippi Colony and other state-sponsored colonies. The map presented is taken from ‘A Map of Africa’ where it is shown as an inset in the left bottom corner. In the right top corner of the map is stated: "No. 16. Map of Africa. Engraved to illustrate Mitchell’s School and Family Geography.” Below the map is written: "Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1839, by S. Augustus Mitchell, in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of Connecticut.” (Uploaded to Wikipedia Commons by Fred van der Kraaij, January 12, 2013).
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