Liberia Independence Day is commemorated on July 26 every year by the African Republic of Liberia. Formerly a United States colony, the country was founded in 1822 as a haven to house and settle freed African-American slaves. Liberia became the first African republic to declare independence after adopting its constitution in 1847.
The Republic of Liberia was initially founded as a settlement for Africans who were freed from American slavery. It was established by the American Colonization Society (A.C.S.) as a way to settle freed and formerly enslaved people of color.
One of the reasons why America approved of the settlement was because most African-Americans in the country faced racial discrimination in the form of political disenfranchisement and the denial of their basic civil rights. Powerful slaveholders, particularly those in the American South, initially opposed the move but viewed it as a way to prevent possible slave rebellions in the future.
To build a colony, the American Colonization Society began bringing freed slaves to what was then known as the Pepper Coast of West Africa in 1822. However, assimilation was first challenging. The colony’s liberated slaves were of mixed ethnicity and had been educated in American culture, making it difficult for them to blend in with the locals.
Between 1822 and 1861, thousands of freed slaves were relocated to the Pepper Coast and by 1824, the colony was named Liberia or ‘Land of the Free.’ With its economy growing over the next decades, the settlers eventually declared Liberia an independent nation on July 26, 1847. It was the first African nation to declare independence and is the continent’s oldest republic.
The United States, however, only recognized its independence in 1861, following the secession of Southern U.S. states into the Confederacy during the American Civil War, partly due to American backing, Liberia was spared from European colonization in the 1880s, becoming one of few African countries to do so. However, the country’s post-independence history was not without its troubles since wars from neighboring countries, as well as numerous civil wars proliferating in the 20th century, have torn the country apart. However, the country is steadily recovering from its tumultuous history and is turning to the future with renewed hope, despite many socioeconomic and developmental challenges still to be addressed.
God Bless Liberia and it’s People! The Land of Freedom!
