Republic of Maryland

The Republic of Maryland (also known as the Independent State of Maryland) was a small African American nation which existed from 1854 to 1857, when it was merged into what is now Liberia.

The area was first settled in 1834 by freed African-American slaves and freeborn African-Americans primarily from the U.S. state of Maryland, under the auspices of the Maryland State Colonization Society. In 1838, other African-American settlements were united into the Commonwealth of Liberia, which declared its independence in 1847. The Maryland colony remained apart, as the state colonization society wished to maintain its trade monopoly in the area. On 2 February 1841, Maryland-in-Africa became the State of Maryland. Following a referendum in 1853, the state declared its independence on 29 May 1854 as Maryland in Liberia, with its capital at Harper.