Liberia Country Information: History
Original Past
Past History The American Colonization Society established Liberia for freed U.S. slaves who immigrated and became known as American-Liberians. In 1847 the new settlers,
who regarded Africa as the “Promised Land,” declared independence. They referred to themselves as Americans, and even today consider themselves the 51st U.S. state. The flag, motto— and the new form of government all reflect the strong American tie. They named the land Liberia, or "Land of the Free," a symbol of their freedom from slavery.
Their heritage influenced pride in their attitudes toward local African people. Hostility between the "Americans" and the "Natives" of the interior continued through the country's history. Two other problems were pressure from neighboring colonial powers, and financial insolvency, both of which challenged the country’s sovereignty. Liberia lost some territory annexed by Britain and France. Economic development slowed and debt increased, which hurt the economy.
The founding of Liberia was privately sponsored by U.S. Christians and foundations. After 1877 the “True Whig Party” held on to political power and leadership was contained within the party.
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Recent to Present
In 1980, a coup led by Samuel Doe, took over. ending Africa’s "first republic". Doe was the first Liberian leader not of the American-Liberian class. He banned newspapers and outlawed some opposition parties, allowing minor parties to remain. Often, people were stirred to realign behind these smaller parties, causing them to be outlawed in their turn. In the 1985 elections, after a week of counting votes, Doe sacked election officials and replaced them with a committee, which proclaimed him the winner with 50.9% of the vote. In response, a coup was launched by Thomas Quiwonkpa, but was overthrown. More than 2000 civilians and 100 politicians were jailed.
In late 1989, civil war broke out, and Doe was killed. As a condition for the end of the conflict, interim president Amos Sawyer resigned in 1994, handing over power to the Council of State. Charles Taylor was elected President in 1997.
Civil war erupted again in 1999. 200,000 people total were killed in the civil wars, though any figure is suspect. The conflict intensified in mid-2003, and moved into Monrovia. This war devesated the nation. The capital was completely destroyed. Charles Taylor accepted asylum from Nigeria, but vowed: "God willing, I will be back." On March 29, 2006, he was extradited from Nigeria, and now faces charges of war crimes before a United Nations tribunal.
Gyude Bryant was appointed Chairman of the transitional government in late 2003. The primary task was to prepare democratic elections. With UN and other troops safeguarding the peace, Liberia conducted presidential elections in the fall of 2005. Twenty-three candidates ran in the election, with George Weah, a famous footballer, UNICEF Ambassador and member of the Kru tribe expected to win the popular vote. He lost in a run-off between himself and Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, a Harvard economist. Elections were peaceful, with thousands of Liberians waiting patiently in the heat to cast their ballots.
Current
In January of 20
06, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was elected president. According to locals, she runs the country with “an iron-fisted-hand.” Daughter of the first indigenous Liberian legislator, Jahmale Carney Johnson, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was born in rural Liberia. She is the first elected female head of state in Africa. A former international banking employee, Johnson-Sirleaf’s career includes heading the U.N. Development Program for Africa. She was jailed twice during the Doe administration, and narrowly escaped death before going into exile. She now hopes to get international help in rebuilding. She is working to have Liberia’s external debt of $3.5 billion cancelled, and is inviting international investment. In addition to restoring basic services like water and electricity to the capital, she is working to re-establish Liberia's food independence.