Joseph Jenkins Roberts, a free Black man from Virginia, set sail for Liberia on May 7, 1840. He would become Liberia’s first Black governor and later its first president when the country declared independence. Roberts symbolized the complicated legacy of the American Colonization Society’s efforts to “return” free Blacks to Africa. Though Liberia was founded with good intentions by some, it also reflected America’s struggles with racism and inequality. Roberts worked to build trade networks, expand Liberia’s territory, and defend the new nation’s sovereignty. His leadership paved the way for Liberia’s stability during its early years.
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