Monrovia, Liberia

Definition

Monrovia is the capital city of Liberia, a country in West Africa. It was established in the 19th century by the American Colonization Society as a settlement for freed African-American slaves.

Analogy

Think of Monrovia like a new school built specifically for students who were previously homeschooled. Just as these students needed a place to continue their education, freed African-American slaves needed a place where they could start anew and live freely.

Related terms

American Colonization Society: An organization in the early 19th century that sought to send free African-Americans to Africa as an alternative to emancipation in the United States.

Emancipation: The act or process of freeing enslaved persons.

African Diaspora: The mass dispersion of peoples from Africa during the Transatlantic Slave Trades, from the 1500s to the 1800s.