I take it for granted that you already know some facts about Liberia. Like the one about her capital being Monrovia; that her President is Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and that one of her citizens, George Oppong Weah is the only African footballer to have won the World and European Footballer of the Year Awards. Am I right?
Yet, there are some facts about Liberia that you may not know; like how it was formed, why it was formed, and how Monrovia got its name. Let’s dig in!
This West African State was established in 1822 by the American Colonisation Society (ACS) as a settlement for freed American slaves. The organisation was founded in 1816, eight years after an American federal law went into effect banning the importation of slaves to the U.S, though domestic slave trading continued and slavery was not abolished in the United States until 1865.
ACS members included those who wanted an end to slavery, called abolitionists, as well as slave owners who were concerned about the possibility of already-free blacks and emancipated slaves inciting a rebellion among the slaves towards their masters, and hence, wanted them repatriated to Africa, thus conveniently eliminating their influence.
In 1847, Liberia became an independent republic, making it the oldest republic in Africa, and the second-oldest sovereign state in Africa, behind Ethiopia. And by this time, some 10,000 free blacks had relocated there. In 1865, when all slaves in the United States were granted their freedom, majority of them chose not to move to Liberia, remaining in America instead.
ACS agents were involved in running Liberia until the 1940s, before gradually becoming irrelevant. Today, Liberia, which means Land of the Free and whose motto is The love of liberty brought us here, lists an estimated 5 percent of its population as descendants of freed slaves.
Its capital, Monrovia, is named for the fifth U.S. president, James Monroe, who served in the White House from 1817 to 1825 and was a supporter of the ACS.
James Monroe had firsthand experience with slavery. In addition to a lengthy career in public service— as a U.S. Senator, Foreign Minister to France and the United Kingdom, and U.S. Secretary of State— he was a Virginia plantation owner and had slaves throughout his life.
Monroe thought it ought to be ended gradually, seeing how he profited from the shameful practice! He felt the problem could eventually be solved through the repatriation of freed slaves, which explains the reason behind his membership of the ACS.
Now, the next time you hear Monrovia, you will likewise remember James Monroe, for whom it was named!
Source: history.com
