I 



^ Independence 



Declaration of Independence and the future constitution of the 

 Liberian Republic. 



On July 26th a solemn Declaration of Independence on the 

 part of the Liberian nation was made in Convention. Roberts 

 seems to have been absent from Monrovia at the time ; Samuel 

 Benedict, the Chief Justice of Liberia, was elected President of 

 the Convention which made this declaration. The other 

 members were H. Teage, General Elijah Johnson, J. N. Lewis, 

 Beverly Wilson, and J. B. Gripon (representatives of the 

 Montserrado County); John Day, Amos Herring, A. W. Gardner, 

 Ephraim Titler (representatives from Grand Basa) ; and R. E. 

 Murray, representative from Sino. Mr. Jacob W. Prout was 

 the Secretary of the Convention. The Constitution was adopted 

 by a unanimous vote, and as it is still the Constitution ot the 

 Liberian Republic, it may be here given together with the text 

 of the preliminary declaration : 



IN CONVENTION— DECLARATION OF 

 INDEPENDENCE 



We, the representatives of the people of the commonwealth of 

 Liberia, in co"nvention assembled, invested with the authority of 

 forming a new Government, relying upon the aid and protection 

 of the Great Arbiter of human events, do hereby in the name and 

 on behalf of the people of this commonwealth, publish and declare 

 the said commonwealth a free, sovereign, and independent State, 

 by the name and title of the Republic of Liberia. 



While announcing to the nations of the world the new position 

 which the people of this republic have felt themselves called upon 

 to assume, courtesy to their opinion seems to demand a brief 

 accompanying statement of the causes which induced them, first 

 to expatriate themselves from the land of their nativity and to form 

 settlements on this barbarous coast, and now to organise their 

 Government by the assumption of a sovereign and independent 

 character. Therefore, we respectfully ask their attention to the 

 following facts : 



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