Republic of Maryland in Africa
Many americans know a little Liberian history; it was founded by african-american slaves, there was terrible a civil war or two not that long ago, and sometimes when Ehtiopia is noted as the only uncolonized state in Africa some mention Liberia wasn't colonized aswell. Of these few, even fewer now of Liberias southern sister, Maryland, wich actually became an independent country aswell.
Republic of Maryland in Africa
Similarily to Liberia north of it, Maryland in Africa was founded by Americans seeking to deport freed African-Americans back to Africa, being oposed to slavery but still thinking the u.s a white nation. Maryland was an American colony, but it was founded by the american state of Maryland not the federal u.s government, showing the often forgoten federal origins of the u.s states wich were actually somewhat like sovereign states once. The freed slave-colonists built towns at the coast mainly in Harper and Cape Palmas, and sought to subjugate the local population with their superior American education and technology however limited itt may have been. However, the inland tribes happened to be the Grebo, one of the more organised "tribes" in the region who were trying to remain free from Afro-American subjugation, supported by Britain who wanted the region as their own colony linking it's west african colonies closer. Several wars were fought against the grebo, who in 1871 declared their own "reunited grebo kingdom". As other afro-american settlements formed Liberia in 1847, Maryland remained independent declaring itself the republic of Maryland in Liberia, a free black state, like Liberia. In some ways an "israel" for all the black Americans who wanted to return to Africa but had lost their native ethnicities. The main principle of these two nations was the opposition to slavery, wich led to several raids on slave forts amongst other things. This brought the demise of maryland however, as the slave-trading native Grebo sought to regain acces to the slave trade by the coast by destroying Maryland. It was forced to join Liberia to survive. The grebo was had only begun however and the afro american state continued to be ravaged, almost to the point of extinction in 1871, by the native Mande, Kru and others who were fighting to not become second class citizens. Compare with the jews in Israel who had a long tragic history before statehood, and the native palestinians who some point out live in the same kinds of ghetos as did the jews.
The long conflict between the natives and the afro-americans resulted in many wars; the natives seeking more rights from the ruling libero-american elite. In fact the relatively recent civil wars in Africa are a result of the disenfrachisement of native ethnic groups such as Kpelle, Grebo, Vai and others. The monopoly on power and wealth enjoyed by the countries former-slave rulers led to a prevention of effective democracy and an inclusive and competetive economy, despite it's non-colonization and american inspired constitution and structure. All of this is familiar to anyone who has looked into any post-colonial african countries, and Liberia isn't terribly different from any of them despite it's history. Unlike the jews in Israel, who from Europe brought modern principles of democracy, the afro-americans brought the system of slavery under wich they had been subject.
As for Maryland in africa I think again that it shows an interesting aspect of American history often unnoticed abroad. That the American states were actually states, the powerful american state we think of today wasn't born from nothing.
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Linke
