By:Austin S Fallah-A True Son of the Planet Earth Soil:
Through Meleka-God-Almighty’s created lenses placed in the upper part of the created body, but born through the union of my loving and caring parents, but now lates, Mr. Nyumah Taylor Fallah and Mrs. Tuwoh Siah Kardu Fallah, and the additions in the form of eyeglasses by my eye doctors-optometrists, I have spun and continue to spin through historical manifestos, hoping to find the original deed/receipt/signatures/dates of the purchase of Providence Island in Liberia, but to no avail.
Let us begin the historical fact-finding voyage.
Hopefully, we will land on the shores of facts and law, as many of us, the legal minds, would say before a competent jurisprudence or as we were taught in law school.
The concept of debt is deeply entrenched within human relationships, personal, societal, or national.
A debtor remains shackled by their obligations until full repayment is made; this intrinsic truth extends beyond individual instances and resonates on a larger, geopolitical scale.
This analogy takes on a profound dimension in Liberia’s historical relationship with the United States.
Liberia, a name given to a place on the West Coast of Africa, owned and inhabited by the land’s natives in the early 19th century as a haven for freed African Black men, women, and children, carries an indelible mark of indebtedness to the United States.
From its inception, marked by the financial backing of the U.S. government, to the role of the American Colonization Society in facilitating the resettlement on the continent of Africa of its sons, daughters, and little children, Liberia’s national identity is inseparable from its ties to America.
My disquisition examines the nature of this obligation and explores whether the debt has been repaid or remains a burdensome legacy.
At the heart of Liberia’s foundation lies the controversial role of the American Colonization Society, established in 1816 to promote the resettlement of free Black Africans back to the continent of their origins.
The rhetorical question, “Who can curse the hand that feeds you?” finds a poignant application here.
The United States, through congressional appropriations and moral support, facilitated the emergence of the name Liberia by granting $100,000 in 1819 for its establishment.
This financial assistance operated under the dual philosophy of providing free Black Africans a new life while resolving their presence in America.
Those who ventured to Liberia did so under the impression of emancipation.
Yet, they were escorted by an ever-present dependency on the land from which they came, a reliance that continues to impact Liberia’s national consciousness.
The fate of Providence Island, Liberia’s birthplace, raises critical questions regarding ownership and obligation.
Was some of the appropriated money used to purchase Providence Island?
Where is the deed for Providence Island located?
Who all signed the deed?
Where is the purchase receipt?
Where was (is) the deed registered?
Historical accounts suggest that the land was purchased from local tribal leaders, specifically those who inhabited the area.
The supposed transaction occurred in 1821 for an amount reported to be around twenty dollars. I am not sure, but research says soooooo oooooo. Ok ooooooo/naaaaahhh.
However, as I delve deeper into the sources of this claim, I encounter ambiguities.
The absence of a robust and verifiable land deed complicates any assertion of legitimate ownership, suggesting that the transaction may have been illegitimate in the eyes of those who knew, owned, and lived on the land long before the returnees’ arrival.
A document, however pivotal, does not erase the historic complexities rooted in colonialism and the dispossession of indigenous peoples.
As well as the philosophical and moral implications surrounding the name given to a place now called Liberia.
They are as critical as the land itself. The assertion that “until the debt is paid, are you truly independent?” raises double-edged questions about sovereignty.
While officially recognized as an independent nation in 1847, Liberia carries the weight of its historical debt.
In this context, independence can be viewed through the formal political realm and the deeper relational ties that bind Liberia to the United States of America.
The entanglement does not merely reside in financial debt; it encompasses cultural, economic, and social facets forged under the watchful eye of American hegemony.
Despite Liberia’s proclaimed sovereignty, the pervasive ideology still questions its independence.
Much like a borrower unable to fully extricate itself from a lender’s influence, Liberia’s identity has been shaped significantly by its longstanding recognition of its roots in the United States.
The minority inhabitants of Liberia, many of whom descend from those freed Black Africans labeled as Americo-Liberians, were laden with distinct cultural expectations and governance styles comparable to those prevalent in the United States, particularly the South.
This dynamic often contributed to social tensions between the returned brothers and sisters population and the indigenous groups, a legacy of debt that morphs into tension, inequality, and continued dependency.
The intricate relationship shared between Liberia and the United States has far-reaching implications that extend beyond the parameters of historical grievances.
Acknowledging that Liberia benefited from American support does not negate the stark reality that such support was ensnared in the fabric of manifest destiny/liberty.
Consequently, this leads to further inquiries.
Can the debt and gratitude ever be entirely repaid?
The lens of historical injustices experienced by the indigenous inevitably complicates the narrative of gratitude, as many Liberians bear the scars of being marginalized within their land, where sovereignty is overshadowed by myriad struggles born from disenfranchisement and exploitation.
To assess whether the debt has been repaid, one must also consider the modernization efforts and international assistance the country has sought in contemporary times.
Following years of civil strife, Liberia became a focal point for international humanitarian and developmental assistance/handouts.
However, this intervention was accompanied by a veil of continued dependency on foreign aid, leading to criticisms akin to neo-colonialism.
Liberia’s complex relationship with the U.S. remains rooted in a hereditary obligation and present benefaction.
This unbreakable bond also raises the question of future integration into the broader global community.
As Liberia reflects on its past, it must evaluate the legacy of its ties with the United States while advancing toward an independent future.
Like the United States, Liberia is responsible for navigating its path, which played a formative role in the nation’s inception.
Governing a relationship based on mutual respect that acknowledges histories of violence, displacement, and dependency is critical to moving forward.
Liberia’s story is one of complex interdependence, a narrative woven together by the threads of debt and gratitude.
While Liberia’s formal independence was achieved, the debt to the United States of America has lingered in the backdrop, stirring a collective consciousness grappling with the challenges of adjusting to a world steeped in historical debts.
Both nations have made strides towards amicable relations.
Yet, the specter of their intertwined histories remains daunting, embodying the long-standing recognition that a proper balance can only be struck when both sides confront the intricate and often laden legacy they share.
Whether these debts can ever be satisfactorily reconciled is a matter of ongoing dialogue between Liberia and the United States and within Liberia itself as it forges its identity in the first and second halves of the 21st century, and beyond.
Ultimately, the question reverberates: what lies ahead for a nation whose past is eternally influenced by the hand that once fed it or continues to feed it?
