Claiming Our History Fully
Dr. Herbert C. Brewer’s 179th Independence oration offered Liberia a necessary lesson in history, identity and national responsibility — and a call every citizen should heed
BY OUR STAFF WRITER
Liberia’s 179th Independence Day celebration offered the nation another opportunity to look backward in order to understand the present and, perhaps more importantly, to decide what kind of country it wishes to become. But unlike orations that simply celebrate independence or appeal to patriotic emotion, this year’s address set a nobler and more demanding task. Dr. Herbert C. Brewer asked Liberians to confront, and to claim, their history.
Delivering the national oration in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, on July 26 under the theme “Strengthening National Identity Through Liberian-led Historical Leadership,” Dr. Brewer — a distinguished historian who directs the Benjamin Quarles Humanities and Social Sciences Institute at Morgan State University and holds a doctorate in history from the University of Maryland — delivered an extensive reflection on Liberia’s long journey: from the societies that flourished on this land centuries before the Republic, through the declaration of independence on July 26, 1847, the struggle to preserve sovereignty, the trials of war, and the continuing work of rebuilding. At the heart of his argument lay a message the nation urgently needs to hear: a people cannot build a confident future while remaining ashamed of, or ignorant about, its past. That message deserves more than the applause of a ceremony. It deserves national reflection.
History Is More Than Dates
One of the most important observations in the oration is that Liberian history did not begin on July 26, 1847, nor in 1822 when repatriated Africans first settled at Cape Mesurado. The Republic has a founding date; the people of this territory do not. Long before the Republic existed, African societies here had established political institutions, commercial networks, systems of justice, agricultural practice and rich cultural tradition. They were not waiting for history to begin. They were already making it.
This distinction matters, because Liberian history is too often presented to the young as though the country appeared suddenly with the settlers and the declaration. That telling is incomplete. Liberia is the product of the many societies that predate the Republic, of the men and women of African descent who returned from the diaspora, of the recaptured Africans brought to these shores, and of the generations who shaped the nation after independence. All of these stories belong to Liberia, and Dr. Brewer’s call to bring them into the national conversation expands, rather than narrows, what it means to be Liberian. None of these stories should be erased.
A Nation Confident Enough to Be Honest
Claiming history, Dr. Brewer reminded his audience, is not the same as romanticising it — and this is where his argument is most valuable. Liberia’s past holds achievements that deserve celebration, and it holds painful chapters that call for honesty: conflicts between communities, inequalities, periods when power grew too concentrated, and eventually the civil wars that scarred a generation. A mature and confident nation can acknowledge all of it. Patriotism, the orator suggested, should never require historical dishonesty.
We should not teach our children that Liberia was perfect, nor that it was a mistake. Both extremes mislead. The first breeds false pride; the second breeds shame. The better path is understanding — learning why Liberia became what it is, what earlier generations did well, and what lessons the present may draw from both. There is nothing weak in loving one’s country while acknowledging its imperfections. In truth, that may be the highest form of patriotism, and it is the form Dr. Brewer invited every Liberian to embrace.
A younger generation should not inherit Liberia’s territory alone. It should inherit the country’s memory.
The Meaning of July 26
The significance of July 26, 1847, should be understood within its own time. Slavery still existed across much of the world; colonial expansion was accelerating; racial theory was being used to justify the domination of Africans and people of African descent. Against that backdrop, a free Black people declaring that they possessed both the right and the capacity to govern themselves through a constitutional republic was a remarkable and courageous assertion. The Republic was imperfect, as all human institutions are, but its very existence challenged the assumptions of its age, and its survival as an independent African state is itself an enduring chapter of world history. It should be honoured as such — neither reduced to a ceremonial slogan nor dismissed as failure.
Independence did not instantly produce a fully united country. The Republic first governed only a portion of the present territory, and for decades many interior communities continued under their own traditions. The Liberia known today was built over generations, through diplomacy, alliance, negotiation and, at times, difficult struggle. Its story cannot be told from Monrovia alone. The chiefs, elders, traders, farmers, women, soldiers and ordinary citizens who lived far beyond the capital are woven into the national narrative, and a country serious about unity must make room for every one of their voices.
Against Selective Memory
One of the gravest dangers facing any nation is selective history — remembering the figures who suit our preferences and forgetting those who do not, celebrating one group while overlooking another, recalling victories while forgetting the sacrifices that accompanied them. That is not history but political storytelling. True history is more complex and more honest. It teaches that people can make lasting contributions while also making mistakes, that leaders act within the circumstances of their time, and that a nation’s challenges can rarely be laid at the feet of one person, one party, one community or one generation.
This is not merely an academic concern. A citizen who does not know his country’s history is more easily misled. The past can be distorted for narrow ends, and disagreements can be inflamed into division. A population that truly understands its history is better equipped to resist manipulation and to defend national unity. Historical education, understood this way, becomes a foundation of national strength, and Dr. Brewer’s call to reclaim it is a call to build that strength deliberately.
A Better History for the Young
Perhaps the most moving part of the oration was its message to young Liberians. The younger generation should not inherit the country’s territory alone; it should inherit the country’s memory. That is a profound responsibility. Young Liberians deserve to know the full story of the nation they will one day lead — the societies that came before the Republic, the people who struggled for freedom, the founding of the state, the diplomatic and economic history, the hard lessons of conflict, and the patient work of rebuilding peace.
This should prompt a serious and welcome conversation about how Liberia teaches its history. Are our children learning enough about the contributions of indigenous communities, about the returning diaspora, about Liberia’s place in the wider story of Africa? Are they being taught to examine evidence rather than merely memorise dates? The nation needs a history curriculum that is rigorous, inclusive and honest, so that young people leave school proud to be Liberian — their pride resting on knowledge rather than mythology.
History as a Guide to Governance
The relevance of the oration does not end in the classroom. History should inform how Liberia governs itself today. If the past teaches that concentrated power can weaken institutions, then modern Liberia must continue strengthening its checks and balances. If it teaches that institutional weakness erodes public confidence, then today’s leaders must keep building systems of accountability — work this administration has embraced. If it teaches that inclusion strengthens a nation, then government must ensure that citizens across every county feel represented and respected. And if it teaches that war destroys generations, then peace must be treasured and protected by every leader and every citizen alike.
Understood in this light, Independence Day becomes more than ceremony. Every July 26 invites the nation to ask whether Liberia is drawing closer to the ideals upon which the Republic was founded — whether its institutions are growing stronger, its citizens better served, its young people better provided for, and its differences settled in peace. These are the questions worth asking, and they are the questions Dr. Brewer’s address placed before the nation.
An Unfinished, Enduring Republic
Dr. Brewer described Liberia as imperfect, unfinished, still striving and yet enduring — a description that should resonate with every citizen. The country survived the pressures of nineteenth-century empire, preserved its sovereignty, endured hardship and conflict, and came through an Ebola crisis, and still the Republic remains. That survival is cause for deep gratitude. But survival alone is not the destination. Liberia must now move from surviving to building, and the responsibility of this generation is to strengthen the institutions that earlier generations struggled to preserve.
That responsibility rests on citizens as surely as on the state. Patriotism cannot end with the flag and the anthem, dear as those symbols are. It must also mean paying one’s taxes, respecting the law, protecting public property, rejecting corruption, participating responsibly in elections, honouring political opponents, and refusing to let loyalty to any camp outrank the national interest. The Republic belongs to all of us, and its success depends on the collective behaviour of its citizens and the strength of its institutions.
Claim All of Liberia’s History
Dr. Brewer’s central appeal should remain with the nation long after the celebrations have ended. Claim all of Liberia’s history — the achievements and the failures, the courage and the mistakes, the sacrifices and the triumphs — and learn from every chapter. We should not allow narrow interests to decide which parts of our history are remembered, nor allow ignorance to become the foundation of national identity. Liberia belongs to its entire people, and its history belongs to all Liberians.
July 26, 1847, gave Liberia its Republic. But every generation must give that Republic renewed meaning. We cannot rewrite the past, but we can decide what it means for the future — whether to repeat old mistakes or to create new possibilities, whether to reconcile, to strengthen institutions, to reject division, to demand accountability and to invest in the young. That is the true meaning of inheritance, and it is the challenge Dr. Herbert C. Brewer set before his countrymen in Buchanan. Let this generation answer it — not as a people who merely celebrated what others accomplished, but as one that understood its history, honoured its achievements and built something better. That is how a Republic survives. That is how a nation matures. And that is how Liberia can truly claim its history and earn its future.
A VIEWS DISCLAIMERThis is a signed Perspective. The views expressed are the writer’s own and are offered, in the spirit of the paper’s Voice from the Margins Inward pillar, as one citizen’s contribution to a national conversation on history, identity and renewal.