1619: The Making of America

Liberian connection to the US in the news

Smithsonian Magazine published an article in 2003 discussing the connections between Liberia, then undergoing political turmoil, and the United States.  Few know that the West African country was founded by Americans and settled by African-Americans who sought to start a new life free from slavery and setting up a society structured much like the United States: with a wealthy ruling class supported by servants.  The legacy of the founding of Liberia has haunted the nation in the form of political strife between the ruling leaders, once second class citizens in the US, and the indigenous people of the region.  Read the article for yourself at Smithsonian Magazine.