Liberia, which means “land of the free,” was the first nation on the African continent to gain its independence on July 26, 1847.
In 1822, free African Americans were settled on the west coast of Africa with the support of the American Colonization Society. The Republic of Liberia, comprised of Indigenous Liberians and Americo-Liberians, declared its independence in 1847. Under pressure from Great Britain, the United States hesitantly accepted Liberian sovereignty, making the West African nation the first democratic republic in African history. A constitution modeled after the U.S. Constitution and written at Harvard was approved. In 1848, Joseph Jenkins Roberts, a freed slave from Virginia, was elected Liberia’s first president. Liberia’s capital, Monrovia, is named in honor of President James Monroe, who was in office in 1822.
Brooklyn Park is proud to be the home of the largest population of Liberians in the African diaspora outside of the Republic of Liberia and recognizes the rich and strong community that makes our City a thriving, vibrant, and diverse community. Liberia’s Independence Day is a day to honor and highlight the current and historical relationship between the United States and Liberia, and the vital contributions Liberians make to the United States, to Minnesota, and to Brooklyn Park.
Happy Liberian Independence Day!