Liberia was settled by freed American slaves in 1821 and became
an independent republic in 1847. Americo-Liberians, descendants
of the freed slaves, dominated the country until 1980, when Sgt.
Samuel Doe led a violent coup that led to the killing of President
William Tolbert. By a fraudulent election, in 1985, Doe became
Liberia's first indigenous president. In 1989, Liberia was invaded
from Côte d' Ivoire by rebel forces of the National Patriotic
Front of Liberia (NPFL), led by Charles Taylor, who proclaimed
himself president. Doe was assassinated in 1990 by another group
of rebels led by Prince Yormie Johnson, who also sought the presidency.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) intervened
to negotiate a peace settlement among the two rebel groups and
the government. ECOWAS also sent a Nigerian-led West African
peacekeeping force to Monrovia and installed an interim government
led by Amos Sawyer. With military aid from Libya and Burkina
Faso, Taylor's forces began a siege of Monrovia in 1992 and engaged
in fighting with ECOWAS forces. A number of cease-fires were
established in 1993 and 1994, but clashes between factions persisted.
Emigrants to Liberia (http://ccharity.com/liberia/index.htm)
"Site gathers links to sites with primary documents on the first Liberian emigrants. Includes 19th century censuses, ships’ passengers lists, etc."
Liberia . U.S. Library of Congress. African-American mosaic (Liberia) (http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/african/intro.html)
Site features LC’s exhibit, “The African-American Mosaic” which has photos (including the first President and First Lady of Liberia) and a history of the colonization of Liberia.
Liberian Letters. University of Virginia (http://etext.lib.virginia.edusubjects/liberia)
"Site provides full text of two collections of letters written by former slaves from Virginia who settled in Liberia: Samson Caesar’s letters to David S. Haselden and Henry F. Westfall 1834-1835, and letters from the former slaves of Terrell, 1857-1866."
Roll
of the Emigrants to the Colony of Liberia Sent by the American Colonization
Society from1820-1843
(http://dpls.dacc.wis.cedu/Liberia)
"The raw data and documentation which records all emigrants to Liberia between 1820-1843, brought by the American Colonization Society can be downloaded." The late Tom Schick (Dept. Of Afro-American Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison) was Principal Investigator of this project.
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