Liberia proclaims independence. The Republic of Liberia, a colony of the American Colonization Society, declares its independence. Under pressure from Great Britain, the United States reluctantly agrees to grant autonomy, making this West African state the first independent democratic republic in African history. A constitution modeled on the US one is approved, and in 1848, Joseph Jenkins Roberts is elected the country’s first president. Liberia was founded in 1821 by former African-American slaves, and by 1865, at the end of the American Civil War, approximately 15,000 people had settled there. With the help of the United States, Liberia has always maintained its independence, despite the turmoil of the twentieth century. A bloody civil war broke out in 1989, lasting until 1997, when Charles Taylor was elected president in free elections. His government was criticized for supporting rebels in neighboring Sierra Leone.
