Liberia became the continent’s first independent republic in 1847.
Liberia declared independence on 26 July 1847 after being established through the settlement of formerly enslaved Black people from the United States and the Caribbean. Its constitution and political institutions were influenced by the United States, while the country developed its own national identity in West Africa.
Joseph Jenkins Roberts became Liberia’s first president. Monrovia, named after U.S. President James Monroe, served as the capital. Liberia’s founding history is distinctive because it involved organized migration and colonization by free and formerly enslaved African Americans rather than direct European colonial rule.
The country was not entirely isolated from the colonial system around it. Its borders and later political history were shaped by regional and international pressures. Liberia also avoided formal European colonization during the Scramble for Africa, although it experienced strong foreign economic and political influence.