Liberia: Study of Liberian Government and its Relationship to American Government

Abstract

The Republic of Liberia derives its name from the Latin word liber, meaning free. Liberia is unique among African nations – it was founded in 1847 by freed American slaves and unlike, many African nations, it never was a colony of another country. This small nation is located on the West Coast of Africa and is approximately the size of the state of Mississippi. The basis of this research is to understand the similarities and differences of Liberian and American government. The country’s earliest constitution modeled that of the United States but denied the majority of the population many of the constitutional rights that should have been extended to all inhabitants. This constitution served as the basis and ideal of government in Liberia during the tenure of the first Republic for over one hundred thirty years (Liebenow, 1987). Despite Liberia's strong ties with the U.S., it does not have a conventional colonial history. However the indigenous groups considered the returning slaves as colonizers. The Liberian government is divided into federal and state components, and embodies three branches of federal government: executive, legislative and judiciary. The Liberian constitution state's that the branches are “Consistent with the principles of separation of powers and checks and balances”. According to the United States State Department, Liberia has a bicameral legislature consisting of 66 representatives and 30 senators. Historically, the executive branch greatly influences the legislature and judicial systems, the latter being largely dysfunctional for now. Because Liberian founders considered Liberia as one state, the fifteen counties in Liberia are equivalent to the fifty states in the United States of America.