The_Open_Door_deel1

SUMMARY
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THE OPEN DOOR POLICY OF LIBERIA
An Economic History of Modern Liberia
In the beginning of the 19th century, groups of freed slaves and
mulattoes from the United States of America emigrated to the west
coast of Africa. In 1847, 25 years after the first successful
colonisation, they proclaimed an independent Republic, which they
named Liberia. At that time they numbered about 3,000, men, women
and children.
The indigenous population in the area of the new Republic outnumbered
them by far. They reacted hostilely to the new arrivals,
who soon made their lands a part of their republic although they
did not consider them as fellow citizens. Consequently, many armed
conflicts resulted which threatened the survival of the country.
The continued existence of the Republic, however, was not
only threatened from within. Especially in the case of English
merchants who, supported by their government, refused to acknowledge
the political souvereignty of Liberia and evaded the import
and export duties to a large extent. This refusal on the part of
European merchants was one of the reasons which motivated the
Liberians to partially close the country to foreigners. Hence,
foreign trade activities were limited by the "Ports of Entry" Law
in 1864 to six areas along the coast. This protective policy was
also based on the desire to safeguard the economic interests of
the political leaders.
On the other hand, the 1864 law had unexpected and undesireable
consequences. For the coastal tribes who did not live near one of
the six ports, trade with the Europeans, their usual practice, became
illegal. Therefore they rebelled and it forced the central
government to finance many military expeditions. These increased
government expenditures coincided with diminishing public revenues,
partly caused by the fall in trade which occurred after 1864.
Hence, the financial situation of the Republic deteriorated continuously.
Moreover, during thelast 25 years of the 19th century,
the Liberian leaders witnessed the colonisation of the areas surrounding
the Republic by England and France. Specifically, since
1880, the political independence of Liberia was menaced by the
increasing colonial imperialism of Europe.
The Americo-Liberians, as the descendants of the founders of the
Republic preferred to call themselves, were internally divided
about the role of foreigners, particularly Caucasians, in the development
of the country. At the turn of the century, the group
in power favoured cooperation in order to promote the economic development
of the country. Simultaneously, they hoped to obtain
protection for themselves against the intrusive European colonial
powers which had succeeded in seizing territory that the government
in Monrovia claimed.
In the present study, it is shown for the first time that the
Open Door Policy, first introduced by U.S. President William
McKinley and his Secretary of State, John Hay with respect to