Jehudi Ashmun
Quick Summary
Jehudi Ashmun was a pivotal figure in the early history of Liberia. He was a white American who arrived in 1822 and is considered the true founder of the nation. Ashmun helped establish a government and legal framework for the settlers, laying the groundwork for Liberia's future development.12
The American Colonization Society, founded in 1816, was instrumental in the establishment of Liberia. The society's primary goal was to transport freeborn Black individuals and emancipated slaves from the United States to Africa. In 1821, the society acquired land that would become the site of Monrovia, Liberia's capital. While some viewed this as a humanitarian effort, many abolitionists opposed the society, believing it aimed to remove Black people from America and preserve slavery. Liberia declared its independence in 1847.32
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