Cape Mesurado
Encyclopedia
Cape Mesurado is a headland on the coast of Liberia
near the capital Monrovia
and the mouth of the Saint Paul River
. It was named Cape Mesurado by Portuguese
sailors in the 1560s. It is the promontory on which African American
settlers established the city now called Monrovia
on 25 April 1822.
There is a lighthouse on Cape Mesurado, located in the Mamba Point neighborhood of Monrovia and in the cape's northwestern portion, that was established in 1855. It is currently inactive, although the Liberian government is seeking financial assistance to restore and reactivate the lighthouse.
dispatched a representative, Dr. Eli Ayers
, to purchase land farther north up the coast from Sierra Leone, where the settlers had previously landed at Sherbro Island
but were experience a high death rate due to the island's swampy, unhealthy conditions. With the aid of Robert F. Stockton
, a U.S. naval officer, Ayers sought out land to establish a new colony. Stockton led negotiations with leaders of the Dei and Bassa peoples who lived in the area of Cape Mesurado. At first, local tribal leaders such as King Peter were reluctant to surrender their peoples' land to the strangers, but were forcefully persuaded—some accounts claim at gun-point—to part with a "36 mile long and 3 mile wide" strip of coastal land for trade goods, supplies, weapons, and rum worth approximately $300.
The Cape Mesurado colony faced many of the same barriers to success as the previous colony at Sherbro Island: little supplies, as well as swampy and unhealthy conditions. There was also conflict with local tribes, who resented the now Americo-Liberian
residents - who had been slaves or the children of former slaves in the United States
before their emigration to Africa - trying to put an end to the slave trade. Led by Lott Carey and Elijah Johnson
, the Americo-Liberians organized their own defense against local attacks and rejected British military assistance in exchange for hoisting the Union Jack on Cape Mesurado.
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
near the capital Monrovia
Monrovia
Monrovia is the capital city of the West African nation of Liberia. Located on the Atlantic Coast at Cape Mesurado, it lies geographically within Montserrado County, but is administered separately...
and the mouth of the Saint Paul River
Saint Paul River
The Saint Paul River is a river of western Africa. Its headwaters are in southeastern Guinea. Its upper portion in Guinea is known as the Diani River or Niandi River, and forms part of the boundary between Guinea and Liberia. The river then enters Liberia about north of Gbarnga and crosses...
. It was named Cape Mesurado by Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
sailors in the 1560s. It is the promontory on which African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
settlers established the city now called Monrovia
Monrovia
Monrovia is the capital city of the West African nation of Liberia. Located on the Atlantic Coast at Cape Mesurado, it lies geographically within Montserrado County, but is administered separately...
on 25 April 1822.
There is a lighthouse on Cape Mesurado, located in the Mamba Point neighborhood of Monrovia and in the cape's northwestern portion, that was established in 1855. It is currently inactive, although the Liberian government is seeking financial assistance to restore and reactivate the lighthouse.
History
The year prior to the settlers' arrival, the American Colonization SocietyAmerican Colonization Society
The American Colonization Society , founded in 1816, was the primary vehicle to support the "return" of free African Americans to what was considered greater freedom in Africa. It helped to found the colony of Liberia in 1821–22 as a place for freedmen...
dispatched a representative, Dr. Eli Ayers
Eli Ayers
Eli Ayers was a physician and the first colonial agent of the American Colonization Society in what would later become Liberia. He was born in 1778 in Shiloh in New Jersey and married Elizabeth West in 1812. He practiced medicine in Woodbury, New Jersey. On August 7, 1821 he left New York for West...
, to purchase land farther north up the coast from Sierra Leone, where the settlers had previously landed at Sherbro Island
Sherbro Island
Sherbro Island, is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, located in Bonthe District off the Southern Province of Sierra Leone. The Sherbro make up by far the largest ethnic group in the island....
but were experience a high death rate due to the island's swampy, unhealthy conditions. With the aid of Robert F. Stockton
Robert F. Stockton
Robert Field Stockton was a United States naval commodore, notable in the capture of California during the Mexican-American War. He was a naval innovator and an early advocate for a propeller-driven, steam-powered navy. Stockton was from a notable political family and also served as a U.S...
, a U.S. naval officer, Ayers sought out land to establish a new colony. Stockton led negotiations with leaders of the Dei and Bassa peoples who lived in the area of Cape Mesurado. At first, local tribal leaders such as King Peter were reluctant to surrender their peoples' land to the strangers, but were forcefully persuaded—some accounts claim at gun-point—to part with a "36 mile long and 3 mile wide" strip of coastal land for trade goods, supplies, weapons, and rum worth approximately $300.
The Cape Mesurado colony faced many of the same barriers to success as the previous colony at Sherbro Island: little supplies, as well as swampy and unhealthy conditions. There was also conflict with local tribes, who resented the now Americo-Liberian
Americo-Liberian
Americo-Liberians are a Liberian ethnicity of African American descent. The sister ethnic group of Americo Liberians are the Sierra Leone Creole people who are of African American, West Indian, and liberated African descent...
residents - who had been slaves or the children of former slaves in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
before their emigration to Africa - trying to put an end to the slave trade. Led by Lott Carey and Elijah Johnson
Elijah Johnson
Elijah Johnson was an African American who was one of the first colonial agents of the American Colonization Society in what later became Liberia. He was probably born in New Jersey, received some limited schooling in New Jersey and New York, served as a soldier in the War of 1812 and studied for...
, the Americo-Liberians organized their own defense against local attacks and rejected British military assistance in exchange for hoisting the Union Jack on Cape Mesurado.