colony · West Africa
Colony of Liberia
Origins
The American Colonization Society, founded in 1816, aimed to settle free Black Americans in Africa. In December 1821 its agents Eli Ayres and Robert Stockton pressed local Dei rulers, including King Peter, to cede Cape Mesurado, and settlers landed in 1822. The settlement was named Monrovia after President James Monroe, and the colony was named Liberia in 1824.
Rule and society
The society appointed white agents, notably Jehudi Ashmun, who organised defence and trade, while settlers gradually gained a role in government. Other societies founded separate colonies: Bassa Cove joined the Commonwealth of Liberia in 1839, and Mississippi-in-Africa followed in 1842. Settlers, known as Americo-Liberians, dominated politics and trade, often in conflict with indigenous peoples. Joseph Jenkins Roberts became the first Black governor in 1841.
Decline and legacy
Disputes with Britain over customs duties showed that a private society's colony lacked standing as a state. On 26 July 1847 the colony declared independence as Liberia, with Roberts as its first president.
Lineage
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- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Colony of Liberia. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/colony-of-liberia
- MLA
- “Colony of Liberia.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/colony-of-liberia. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Colony of Liberia.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/colony-of-liberia.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Colony of Liberia’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/colony-of-liberia (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻