History is never a single voice—it is a chorus. Every significant event, every national story, is shaped by the perceptions, motives, and emotions of those who lived it. The founding of Liberia is no exception. It is a story that lives through many eyes: the freed African Americans who longed for a home of their own, the white philanthropists and politicians who facilitated their voyage, and the indigenous Africans who first welcomed—and later confronted—them.
In Coming to Africa: Historical Figures in the Founding of Liberia, Gbitee Doyen Gbitee revisits this multi-faceted history, offering readers a panoramic view of the people and forces that shaped Africa’s first republic. It is a reminder that truth in history often lies between the lines of competing narratives.
Through the Eyes of the Freedmen
For the freed African Americans who chose to leave the United States in the early 19th century, the decision was both liberating and heart-wrenching. Many had been born in America; they had never seen Africa and knew little of its geography or cultures. Yet, they carried within them an unshakable belief that their destiny lay across the Atlantic.
To them, the voyage to Africa was a pilgrimage of purpose. It was an act of courage to reclaim what had been lost through centuries of slavery—the right to live freely, govern themselves, and define their own humanity. These settlers saw themselves not as exiles but as founders, builders of a new society grounded in faith, self-reliance, and education.
But their journey was not without disillusionment. The promise of a “promised land” was soon tested by harsh climates, disease, and clashes with local tribes. The settlers’ struggles reveal a more profound truth about freedom—it is not a gift bestowed, but a burden carried and earned through endurance.
Through the Eyes of the Philanthropists and Colonizationists
Across the ocean, white Americans viewed the colonization movement through a variety of lenses—some benevolent, others deeply conflicted. Members of the American Colonization Society (ACS), founded in 1816, included both abolitionists and enslavers.
For the abolitionists, sending freed African Americans to Africa represented a humanitarian mission—a chance to right historical wrongs and spread Christianity. For others, it was a way to “solve” what they perceived as a social problem—the presence of free blacks in a slaveholding society.
This contradiction is one of the most fascinating aspects of Liberia’s origin. The same movement that sought to restore freedom also reinforced separation. It is a moral paradox that still challenges how we understand the intersection of charity, politics, and racial ideology in early American history.
Yet, it is undeniable that without the support—financial and logistical—of these early colonizationists, the settlers’ journey may never have begun. Their actions, however complex, became the bridge between oppression and opportunity.
Through the Eyes of the Indigenous Africans
Long before the settlers’ ships appeared on the horizon, the lands that became Liberia were home to vibrant communities—the Kru, Bassa, Vai, Dei, and Gola peoples among them. These groups had their own political systems, trade networks, and traditions.
The arrival of freed African Americans brought both curiosity and concern. To the indigenous Africans, these newcomers were neither entirely foreign nor thoroughly familiar. They were black like them, yet they spoke strange tongues, wore foreign clothes, and carried customs rooted in a distant land.
Both cooperation and conflict marked early encounters. Trade agreements were made, alliances formed, but tensions also flared over land and leadership. Over time, cultural misunderstandings and power struggles deepened divisions between settlers and natives—a divide that would echo through Liberia’s later history.
Yet, it is essential to recognize that Liberia could not have been built without the labor, land, and local knowledge of its indigenous peoples. They, too, were founders—unacknowledged partners in a nation that would later bear the symbol of African independence.
Through the Eyes of the Present
Two centuries later, Liberia’s story continues to evolve. Modern historians, educators, and descendants of both settlers and indigenous communities are reexamining the founding narrative, asking new questions:
Who truly built Liberia? Whose freedom was prioritized, and whose was overlooked? How can a nation reconcile the dual heritage of colonization and indigeneity?
These questions are not meant to divide, but to heal. They invite dialogue, empathy, and understanding—values essential to building a stronger national identity.
By embracing multiple perspectives, Liberians today are reclaiming the fullness of their history. They are no longer bound by a single narrative of return, settlement, or conflict—but by a collective story of endurance and rebirth.
Conclusion: Many Eyes, One Vision
The founding of Liberia cannot be told through one voice alone. It belongs to all who dreamed it, lived it, resisted it, and rebuilt it. The freedmen who sought freedom, the philanthropists who facilitated it, and the indigenous Africans who bore its consequences—all contributed to the shaping of a nation that defied the expectations of its time.
In Coming to Africa: Historical Figures in the Founding of Liberia, Gbitee Doyen Gbitee brings these voices together, revealing that history’s most significant power lies in perspective. Through many eyes, we see a fuller truth—a truth that speaks not only of the past, but of the unending human desire for home, dignity, and belonging.