The Presidency of William V.S. Tubman
President of Liberia 1944-1971
Ralph Greenwood
Copyright 2021 Ralph Greenwood
All rights reserved
First Edition
PAGE PUBLISHING, INC.
Conneaut Lake, PA
First originally published by Page Publishing 2021
ISBN 978-1-6624-1191-5 (pbk)
ISBN 978-1-6624-1192-2 (digital)
Printed in the United States of America
Table of Contents
To my sister Joyce.
To the Barrett, Greenwood, and Moore families.
With love,
Ralph
Acknowledgments
I would like to express my gratitude to the history departments of Northern Arizona University and Mt. San Antonio College for their support. I would also like to express my appreciation to the staff of Page Publishing.
I was helped in the completion of this book, in one way or another, by many people. I cannot thank them all on these pages, but I shall list a few with a brief explanation of the assistance to me.
I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Dr. Philip Rulon. My debt to him goes beyond explanation. His belief in me, when there was little to rest it on, was a profound influence on my spiritual and intellectual development. I am also deeply grateful to Dr. Poirier, Dr. Morley, and Dr. Poen for their contribution to my intellectual growth.
In the completion of this dissertation, I was aided by several libraries and research institutions. I wish to express a personal gratitude to the library of the University of Liberia, United States Library of Congress, UCLAs University Research Library, California State University at Los Angeles library, Northern Arizona University library, and Liberias National Archives.
I would like to express my deepest gratitude to John Wilson for the aid he provided me in Liberia that led to the completion of this study.
I am also eternally grateful to my wife and family, who sacrificed a great deal toward the completion of this study.
I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the following individuals for the aid they provided me in the completion of this book: Myrtle Barrett, 19271982; Robert Moore; LaQuanda Fletcher; Juanita Lee; Wheeler Barrett; Joycelyn Barrett; Releford Barrett; Maureen Nezart Keys; Reginald Keys; Rekia Keys; Pierre Keys; Susan Carnal; Mia Latham; Dr. Joe Rice, 19302002; Veronda Ramsey; Brooke Armbrister; Wayne Harkey; Doris Harkey; Marion Allen; Dr. Ernie Smith; Dr. William Jones; Dr. Harold Hoffman; Dr. Debra Favre; and Professor Lynette Hight.
Prologue
In examining the policies pursued by Liberia during the Tubman era, this study finds that it was President Tubman, more so than any of his predecessors, who was responsible for ending Liberias centuries of social, economic, and political isolation from the world.
It is a basic assumption of this study that the institutional arrangements of decision-making theoretically include two main events: (1) the powers and functions delegated to the branches of the government under the Liberian Constitution and (2) the role of the people governed by Liberian law.
This study suggests that postWorld War II reconstruction and resultant innovations of Liberias West African neighboring communities necessitated not only strategic and tactical changes within Liberia but also the charisma to institute a unitary system of governments with strict autocratic rule, short of a complete dictatorship. Thus, the election of President William V. S. Tubman in 1943 resulted in a charismatic leader characteristic of the aforementioned traits.
It is a basic tenet of this study that the era of Tubmans presidency ushered in definite departure of boldness and innovation from the previous strategy of isolating the tribal majority from the Americo-Liberian minority and alien contact. Tubman moved forthwith to institute an economic open door with foreign investors and businessmen for a natural resource exploration and development of the Liberian hinterland.
There were dangers to be avoided while simultaneously perpetuating the attainment of the supremacy of the Americo-Liberian class.
To minimize the most significant dangers of nationalistic movements and national obstacles to unification, there was a sharp move toward one-party domination, then to unitary constitutional arrangements, and ultimately to strict autocratic rule.
Thus, the election of President William V. S. Tubman in 1943 resulted in a charismatic leader characteristic of the aforementioned traits.
It is a basic tenet of this study that the era of Tubmans presidency ushered in a definite departure of boldness and innovation from those of past presidencies. In addition to an immediate departure from the previous strategy of isolating the tribal majority from the AmericoLiberian minority and alien contact, Tubman moved forthwith to institute an economic open door with foreign investors and businessmen for natural resource exploration and development of the Liberian hinterland. There were dangers to be avoided while simultaneously perpetuating the attainment of the supremacy of the Americo-Liberian class.
To minimize the most significant dangers of nationalistic movements and national obstacles to unification, there was a harp move toward one-party domination, then to unitary constitutional arrangements, and ultimately to strict autocratic rule.
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
Liberia is located on the west coast of Africa, about 250 miles north of the equator (Figure 1). In relation to the continent of North America, Liberia is due east of the Panama Canal and the mouth of the Amazon River. It is also 70 miles southwest of Sierra Leone. The land area of Liberia consists of approximately 43,000 square miles.
The history of Liberia is divided into three major epochs: (l) the period from ancient times to 1800; (2) the colonial period (18001848), which includes black American colonization to independence; and (3) the Liberian Republic, the period of unification and integration.
During the first period in the seventh century, the Egyptian pharaoh Necho sent a Phoenician fleet out that circumnavigated the African continent. Other scholars and navigators taking the same route as the Phoenicians believed, in contrast to Herodotus the historian, that the African continent was on their left and the sun was on their right. They, therefore, took this as evidence that the
Figure 1 Liberia
Phoenicians had circumnavigated Africa. Herodotus states the following:
The Phoenicians set out from the Red Sea and sailed the Southern Sea. Whenever autumn came, they would put in and sow the land to whatever part of Libya (Africa) they might come, and there await the harvest. Then, having gathered the crop, they sailed on so that in their third year they rounded the pillars of Heracles and came to Egypt. They said (what some may believe, though I do not), that in sailing around Libya they had the sun on their right hand.
Recorded contact is not reestablished until 1461, when the Portuguese navigator Pedro de Centra led an expedition of caravels to the Liberian coast. With the discovery of the abundance of grains of malagueta pepper, a then precious commodity in Europe, the Portuguese named it the Grain Coast. A British royal company established two trading posts along the coasts, named Mesurado and Grand Sisters, in 1663. Both trading posts were destroyed by the Dutch in the following year.
