Liberia

Liberian history

Brief history of Liberia summarized

A brief review of the history of Liberia, an African country.

Old Liberian

The ancestors of the indigenous people of Liberia are believed to have migrated there between the 12th and 16th centuries. The Portuguese arrived on the coast in the 15th century and began trading in pepper, ivory and slaves. In 1816 the American Colonization Society was formed. Their goal was to resettle free black Americans in Africa.

In 1822 a colony was founded on the coast. In 1824 the capital was named Monrovia in honor of United States President James Monroe. The new colony grew rapidly. The United States had outlawed the slave trade, and American ships intercepted ships carrying slaves. The slaves settled in Liberia.

Liberia declared its independence from the United States on July 26, 1847, and a constitution was written. Joseph Jenkins Roberts was the first president of Liberia in 1848. Great Britain was the first European country to recognize Liberia. The United States did not recognize it until 1862.

Modern Liberia

Liberia declared war on Germany in 1917. Then, in 1926, the Firestone Company of the United States opened a rubber plantation in Liberia. In 1944 Liberia again declared war on Germany. In 1946 Liberia got a new constitution. Introduced universal suffrage.

However, in 1980 Samuel Doe led a military coup. In 1985 Doe was elected president in a rigged election. In 1989, the Liberian National Patriotic Front, led by Charles Taylor, began an uprising. The result was a civil war that lasted until 1996. Taylor was elected president in 1997.

However, a second civil war began in 1999. It lasted until 2003. The civil wars, of course, caused great devastation, but with the advent of peace, Liberia began to recover. In 2005, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was elected President of Liberia. She was the first female president of an African state.

Today Liberia is a poor country, but the economy is growing. Today, the population of Liberia is 4.8 million.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button