Liberian Constitution of 1847

Initial ACS constitution The modern state of Liberia began with the 1820 arrival of settlers from the United States-based American Colonization Society (ACS), an organization whose goal was to set up a country in Africa for freeborn people of color and emancipated slaves. The ACS created an initial constitution for the colony, which kept all governance of the colony in the hands of the ACS. It created a Board of Managers, composed of "agents" of the ACS, which would be in charge of handling "all questions relative to the government of the Settlement" and all disputes between Individuals". It anticipated a handover of governance to the settlers once the colony was settled. ==Constitutional convention==

Twelve delegates formed the constitutional convention in July of 1847. The proceedings of the convention are poorly documented. The records kept during the convention were subsequently lost, with the primary extant coverage based on the private diary of one delegate who considered the other delegates to be "universally deficient". There were a variety of potential influences on the 1847 constitution, though limited documentation makes it difficult to determine which aspects of the constitution came from where. The ACS tried to influence the authors of the new constitution to protect the ACS's rights within the new nation. They also sent along recommendations from an American law professor, Simon Greenleaf. His suggestions may have formed an early draft of the constitution, but that draft was rejected, and many important aspects of the 1847 constitution do not fit with Greenleaf's or the ACS's desires. The convention approved the Liberian Declaration of Independence on July 26, and the final form of the constitution on July 28. The constitution was approved by a September referendum, again with low voter turnout, but this time with a heavy majority. Only 269 of the estimated 600 eligible voters (Americo-Liberian men over the age of 21) cast ballots. The constitution was ratified 211-58, led by heavy support in Monrovia proper (which voted 111-0 in favor). ==Provisions==

The 1847 constitution was influenced both by its previous colonial constitutions and the Constitution of the United States. Because of these influences, it is sometimes referred to as a replica of the U.S. Constitution. However, the Liberian constitution re-interpreted the American constitution in ways that reflect "the uneasy reconciliation of foreign constitutional ideals with local realities". Notable examples include its restriction of citizenship and land ownership to "persons of color", and its extension of economic rights to women. Indigenous Africans were only granted the right to vote if they had "conformed to the forms, customs, and habits of civilized life" for three or more years. ==Legacy==

The 1847 Constitution remained in force, with some amendments, until the 1980 Liberian coup d'état. The 1847 constitution was officially replaced in 1984, after voters approved a new Constitution of Liberia in a national referendum; Article 95(a) of the new constitution officially abrogated the old one. ==See also==