Why Liberia Was Not Colonised By European Powers

Liberia is the only African country that was never colonized by a European power because Liberia was not along the major slave trade routes. Secondly Liberia did not possess any resources European powers sought at the time and lastly, Liberia was never Colonised by a European Power because the indigenous people of Liberia were able to successfully resist attempts by European traders and missionaries to establish a foothold in Liberia.

Liberia’s History

Liberia is a country located in West Africa. The area now known as Liberia was inhabited by various indigenous African peoples prior to the arrival of the Portuguese in the late 15th century.

The Portuguese explorer Pedro de Sintra reached the region in 1461 and named it Costa da Pimenta (Pepper Coast) due to the abundance of pepper trees he found there.

In 1624, the Dutch West India Company established a settlement at Fort Zeelandia on an island off present-dayLiberia. This was followed by other Dutch settlements along the coast, including one at Groot Desolk (present-day Grand Cess). In 1634, the English founded their own settlement, which they called Cape Mesurado (present-day Monrovia).

The Dutch and English colonies competed for control of Liberia until the Dutch ceded their claims to the English in 1816. In 1822, Liberian exiles from North America founded their own colony on land acquired from local chiefs with financial backing from the American Colonization Society (ACS). This new colony was named Liberia in reference to its main export, latex from rubber trees.

The ACS continued to support Liberian colonization throughout the 19th century. In 1847, Liberia declared itself an independent republic; however, it did not gain international recognition as such until after World War II.

Since then, Liberia has undergone numerous periods of political turmoil and violence interspersed with brief periods of stability and

Why Liberia was not colonised

There are a number of reasons why Liberia was not colonised.

The first reason why Liberia was not colonised is that it was not part of the main West African slave trade routes.

The majority of slaves captured in West Africa were taken to coastal ports such as Ghana and Nigeria, from where they were shipped to the Americas.

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Liberia, being located further inland, was simply too far away from these main slave trade routes to be a viable destination for slaving ships.

The second reason why Liberia was not colonised is that it was not rich in resources that Europeans were interested in, such as gold or ivory. At the time when European powers were starting to colonise Africa, they were primarily motivated by a desire to gain control over valuable resources. Liberia simply had nothing that these European powers wanted, and so there was no incentive for them to try and conquer the country.

The third reason why Liberia was not colonised is that the indigenous people of Liberia were able to successfully resist attempts by European traders and missionaries to establish a foothold in the country.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Liberia was not colonised because of it was not part of the main West African Slave Trade Routes, the lack of desirable resources and the resistance of the indigenous people to Christian Missionaries attempting to get a foothold in the Country.

The combination of these factors made it too difficult for European colonists to establish a foothold in the country.