In 1663 England installs trading posts on the Grain Coast, but the Dutch destroy these posts a year later. There are no further reports of European settlements along the Grain Coast. Freed slaves from the United States found in 1820 Liberia. In 1822 the American Colonization Society founds the Cape Mesurado Colony, which is expanded into the Colony of Liberia in 1824.

the following decades thousands of freeds slaves, called Americo-Liberians, arrived in Liberia. This culminates in the forming of the Commonwealth of Liberia in 1839 and in 1847 into a declaration of independence of the Republic of Liberia. Joseph Jenkins Roberts who was born and raised in America becomes Liberia's first president. The style of government and constitution was fashioned on that of the United States. The formation of the new republic is not an altogether easy task. The settlers periodically encounter stiff opposition from African tribes whom they meat upon arrival, usually resulting in bloody battles. In 1857 the separate Independent State of Maryland in Liberia is incorporated into Liberia. Independence is recognized by the United States in 1862. Liberia's history until 1980 is largely peaceful. For 133 years after independence, the Republic of Liberia is ruled by the Americo-Liberians, who establish the True Whig Party (TWP) in 1869. Liberia develops into a one-party state. In 1900 Garretson Wilmot Gibson becomes president. He is succeeded in 1904 by Arthur Barclay. In 1912 Daniel Edward Howard becomes president, in 1920 Charles Dunbar Burgess King and in 1930 Edwin James Barclay. The best-know Liberian president is William Tubman from 1944 to 1971. After his death in 1971 he is succeeded by William Tolbert. The TWP dominates all sectors of Liberia.

In 1980 indigenous Liberians sieze power and Liberia becomes a military dictatorship under Samuel Doe and his People's Redemption Council. Doe's forces execute Tolbert and ends 133 years of Americo-Liberian political domination. Political parties are banned until 1985 and in the 1985 elections the National Democratic Party of Liberia (NDPL) of Doe is declared winner. The elections are characterized by widespread fraud and rigging. In 1989 rebels under Charles Taylor invade Liberia from the Ivory Coast. Taylor and his National Patriotic Front rebels rapidly gain the support of Liberians because of the repressive nature of Doe and his government. The civil war costs the lives of more than 200,000 Liberians and further displaced a million others into refugee camps in neighboring countries. Another rebel group captures and kills Doe in 1990. An Interim Government of National Unity (IGNU) is formed in 1990 and Amos C. Sawyer becomes President. Taylor refuses to work with the interim government and continues war. The civil war continues and in special elections in 1997 Liberians out of fear of a return to war had Taylor lost, support his National Patriotic Party.

The civil war continues when the rebel groups Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) and Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL) fight the Taylor regime. In 2003 the government, LURD and MODEL sign a cease-fire that envisioned a comprehensive peace agreement within 30 days. The three combatants subsequently break that cease-fire repeatedly, which result in bitter fighting that eventually reaches downtown Monrovia. Later in 2003 under intense United States and international pressure, Taylor resignes office and departs into exile in Nigeria. A comprehensive peace agreement is signed, which lais the framework for constructing a 2-year National Transitional Government. Gyude Bryant is elected chair of the National Transitional Government of Liberia (NTGL) and a transitional 76 member Legislative Assembly (LA) is formed. The NTGL will serve until january 2006, when the winners of the scheduled 2005 presidential and congressional elections take office.