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Speaker 1: The Stay in History Class. It's a production of I

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Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hey y'all, it's Eves. If you've been listening

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Speaker 1: to the show, then you know that I'm at home

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Speaker 1: for the holidays, getting some much needed rest and relaxation.

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Speaker 1: But I'm still bringing you another episode of this State

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Speaker 1: in History Class, So let's get into the show. Today

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Speaker 1: is January. The day was January three, eight Black American

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Speaker 1: merchant Joseph Jenkins Roberts was sworn into office as the

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Speaker 1: first President of Liberia. Roberts was born a free black

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Speaker 1: man in Norfolk, Virginia, in eighteen o nine. His father

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Speaker 1: was likely a white planter, and his mother was Amelia Roberts,

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Speaker 1: a woman of mixed race. Roberts grew up reading books

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Speaker 1: that were in the private library of William Coulson, a

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Speaker 1: black barber, whom he apprenticed under Let's In A decade

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Speaker 1: after Roberts was born, the American Colonization Society or a

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Speaker 1: CS was established. Black and non black Americans supported the

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Speaker 1: immigration of Black Americans to Africa for various reasons. Some

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Speaker 1: people believed they would live safer and happier lives they're

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Speaker 1: free from racial discrimination. Others just wanted black people out

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Speaker 1: of the country or wanted black Americans to christianize Africa.

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Speaker 1: The mission of the American Colonization Society was to send

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Speaker 1: free black Americans to Africa. Considering the different reasons people

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Speaker 1: supported colonization and the fact that it often made black

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Speaker 1: folks lives worse, many people opposed colonization and the a

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Speaker 1: c S. By the eighteen thirties, many abolitionists and black

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Speaker 1: leaders were denouncing colonization and the a c S for

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Speaker 1: supporting the institution of slavery, but some black people still

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Speaker 1: supported colonization, and the a c S was still sending

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Speaker 1: ships full of black immigrants to Africa. Throughout the early

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Speaker 1: eighteen hundreds, the Society set about finding a good location

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Speaker 1: for its colony in West Africa. It sent people to

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Speaker 1: Sharboro Island in Cerra Leone, where many died because of

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Speaker 1: the island's conditions. The a c S then moved his

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Speaker 1: efforts north to Cape Massadu. Local tribal leaders resisted colonization,

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Speaker 1: but the survivors from Sharborough Island and other people from

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Speaker 1: the US began arriving at Cape Massado in eighteen twenty four.

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Speaker 1: The colony was dubbed Liberia with its capital at Monrovia

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Speaker 1: after US President James Monroe. Despite Liberia's early struggles with

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Speaker 1: tribal leaders and with the governing authorities, slave states encouraged

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Speaker 1: the formation of war colonization societies. These societies founded their

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Speaker 1: own colonies in Liberia for formerly enslaved and free black people.

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Speaker 1: In eighteen twenty nine, Roberts left Virginia for Africa aboard

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Speaker 1: the Harriet with his mother, wife, child, and four siblings.

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Speaker 1: He and his business partner Coulson planned on exporting timber,

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Speaker 1: animal hides and other products to North America in exchange

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Speaker 1: for US goods as well as new immigrants. His wife

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Speaker 1: and child died not long after they reached Africa, but

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Speaker 1: Roberts did become a successful merchant. He got land to

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Speaker 1: raise cash crops, paid for his brother to go to

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Speaker 1: medical school in the US, and married another woman. Soon

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Speaker 1: he was recognized as a member of the upper crust.

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Speaker 1: He became high sheriff of the colony, collecting taxes from

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Speaker 1: indigenous people. By eighteen thirty nine, he was appointed vice governor,

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Speaker 1: and in eighteen forty one he became the first Black

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Speaker 1: American governor of Liberia. Commerce in Liberia was becoming increasingly lucrative,

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Speaker 1: but Liberia had a hard time protecting its interests as

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Speaker 1: foreign traders encroached on its territory. Roberts and other colonial

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Speaker 1: leaders sought the recognition of Liberian sovereignty, and in October

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Speaker 1: of eighteen forty six, the colonial legislature called for a

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Speaker 1: referendum on independence from the a CS. Colonists voted in

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Speaker 1: favor of independence, choosing to cut ties with the a

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Speaker 1: c S and convene a constitutional convention. Liberia was declared

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Speaker 1: an independent republic in July of eighteen forty seven, and

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Speaker 1: Roberts won the first presidential election. He was inaugurated on

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Speaker 1: January three, eighteen forty eight. As president, Roberts sought recognition

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Speaker 1: of Liberian sovereignty from other nations. Much of Europe, Haiti, Brazil,

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Speaker 1: and the US eventually recognized the new republic. Under his presidency,

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Speaker 1: Liberia expanded its territory, but friction remained between America Liberians

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Speaker 1: as they were known, and indigenous peoples. Roberts was reelected

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Speaker 1: three times and served eight years in office. He returned

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Speaker 1: to the office in eighteen seventy two, serving four more

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Speaker 1: years as president. Roberts died in eighteen seventy six, leaving

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Speaker 1: much of his estate to the Liberian education system. I'm

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Speaker 1: Eve Jeff Coo and hopefully you know a little more

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Speaker 1: about history today than you did yesterday. And if you

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Speaker 1: have any notes that you want to send us, you

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Speaker 1: can do so at this day at i heeart media

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Speaker 1: dot com. If you want to email us, and if

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Speaker 1: can do that on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram at t

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Speaker 1: d i h C podcast. Thanks again for listening and

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