Liberia

The Founding of Liberia

Liberia is a West African nation founded by free and formerly enslaved African Americans between 1820 and 1865. President James Monroe’s administration helped fund the settlement, and Liberia’s capital city, Monrovia, honors his name. Liberia is unique among African nations because it was never ruled by a European colonial power.

Americo-Liberian Rule

The formerly enslaved settlers subjugated the indigenous Mande, Kwa, and Mel peoples much as later European colonists did. A ruling class of Americo-Liberians dominated the government, though they made up less than three percent of the population. The Americo-Liberians spoke English and modeled their homes after those of the American South.

Political Upheaval and Civil War

The Americo-Liberians avoided the Scramble for Africa by maintaining close ties with the United States, but they allowed American companies to exploit Liberia’s natural resources. The last Americo-Liberian leader, William R. Tolbert, was the grandson of formerly enslaved South Americans and was accused of stealing about $200 million from the treasury.

Tolbert was killed in a 1980 military coup led by Samuel K. Doe, who opposed Americo-Liberian privilege. Doe ruled brutally for ten years until rebel forces tortured and killed him. Liberia’s civil war lasted from 1989 to 1997, when another strongman, Charles Taylor, seized power. Taylor later tried to overthrow the government of neighboring Sierra Leone and was convicted of crimes against humanity by a United Nations court. He was sentenced in 2012 to fifty years in prison, where he remains today. The wars devastated Liberia’s economy and drove many businesses away.

Modern Liberia

The Liberian people held free elections in 2006, choosing Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as Africa’s first elected female head of state. Former soccer star George Weah succeeded her in 2018, followed by Joseph Boakai, who became president in 2024 after Liberia’s second peaceful transfer of power in modern times.