Liberia declared its independence.
Liberia . The country declared its independence on July 26 , 1847 . The Liberian constitution and flag were modeled after those of the U.S. On January 3 , 1848 , Joseph Jenkins Roberts , a wealthy , free-born African American from Virginia who settled in Liberia , was elected as Liberia 's first president after the people proclaimed independence . Liberia is the only African republic to have self-proclaimed independence without gaining independence through revolt from any other power , and is Africa 's first and oldest modern republic .