independence referendum An independence referendum is a type of referendum in which the residents of a territory decide whether the territory should become an Independence, independent sovereign state. An independence referendum that results in a vote for independence ...

was held in the

Maryland Colony The Province of Maryland was an English and later British colony in North America that existed from 1632 until 1776, when it joined the other twelve of the Thirteen Colonies in rebellion against Great Britain and became the U.S. state of Maryland ...

on 31 January 1853.Maryland in Liberia (Liberia), 31 January 1853: Independence
Direct Democracy Only 122 people voted in the referendum, all in favor of independence.

Background

The Maryland State Colonization Society was established in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in 1830. The group established the Maryland Colony in Africa on 22 February 1834. After

Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...

declared independence in 1847, the desire for independence also grew in Maryland, and the settlers presented a petition to the authorities for a referendum.

Results

Aftermath

Following the referendum,

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operate ...

were held for a Constitutional Council in February 1854, a new constitution was approved in a referendum in March 1854, and Maryland declared independence as the

Republic of Maryland The Republic of Maryland (also known variously as the Independent State of Maryland, Maryland-in-Africa, and Maryland in Liberia) was a country in West Africa that existed from 1834 to 1857, when it was merged into what is now Liberia. The area ...

on 8 June 1854.Maryland in Liberia (Liberia), 29 March 1854: Constitution
Direct Democracy

References

{{Republic of Maryland elections

Referendums in the Republic of Maryland Maryland County

1853 in Africa January 1853 events