This chapter provides an overview of Liberia's political development and a description of the major events and actors in the civil war. Although often portrayed as a savage war of either tribal animosity or simple greed, Liberia's war was rooted in legitimate social and political grievances. Rebellion was initially seen as a necessary antidote to a corrupt, entrenched regime and a legacy of oppression. The war, however, quickly took on a life of its own as a multitude of armed groups competed for influence, forcing civilians to either choose sides or flee to safety. A timeline of Liberia's war can be found in the chapter's appendix.

A SETTLER REPUBLIC, 1822–1980

In early 1822, a ship containing a few dozen settlers and a handful of officials from the American Colonization Society (ACS) landed on a small island in the Mesurado River, just inland from what was then known as the Grain Coast of West Africa. These settlers – free blacks and former slaves from the United States – had reached the end of an arduous two-year journey that claimed the lives of more than a dozen of their fellow travelers. After tense negotiations with the native peoples, the ACS officials secured some land in exchange for a few casks of alcohol, gunpowder, and trade goods. Liberia was born.

The official goals of the ACS included humanitarian, evangelical, and political concerns. Emphasizing the humanitarian mission, Reverend Robert Finley, the driving force behind the ACS in America, stated “Our fathers brought them here, and we are bound, if possible, to repair the injuries inflicted by our fathers” (in Pham 2004: 6). American settlers in Africa, the ACS argued, would also “civilize” and “Christianize” the native population, and possibly open new markets for American businesses.