Hilary Teague (1802 – May 21, 1853), sometimes written as Hilary Teage, was a

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 ...

n merchant, journalist, and politician in the early years of the West African nation of

. A native of the state of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

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 ...

, he was known for his oratory skills and was prominent in early Liberian colonial politics. A leading advocate for Liberian independence from the

American Colonization Society The American Colonization Society (ACS), initially the Society for the Colonization of Free People of Color of America until 1837, was an American organization founded in 1816 by Robert Finley to encourage and support the migration of freebor ...

, he drafted the

Liberian Declaration of Independence The Liberian Declaration of Independence is a document adopted by the Liberian Constitutional Convention on 26 July 1847, to announce that the Commonwealth of Liberia, a colony founded and controlled by the private American Colonization Society, ...

in 1847, serving as both a

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

and the first Secretary of State for the new nation in the years that followed.

Early life

Teague was born

free Free may refer to: Concept * Freedom, having the ability to do something, without having to obey anyone/anything * Freethought, a position that beliefs should be formed only on the basis of logic, reason, and empiricism * Emancipate, to procur ...

, in 1805. His mother was Frances Teague and his father

Colin Teague Colin Teague is a British film and television director. Born 1970 He grew up in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire and studied at Redroofs Theatre School

, a former slave who became a

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

missionary during early efforts to establish the

colony In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the ''metropole, metropolit ...

. The family emigrated to West Africa in 1821. Hilary Teague also served as a Baptist minister in

Monrovia Monrovia () is the capital city of the West African country of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic coast and as of the 2008 census had 1,010,970 residents, home to 29% of Liberia’s total population. As the ...

and was a merchant trading in

palm oil Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp (reddish pulp) of the fruit of the oil palms. The oil is used in food manufacturing, in beauty products, and as biofuel. Palm oil accounted for about 33% of global oils produced from ...

. In 1835, Teague became the owner and editor of the '' Liberia Herald'' in

after

John Brown Russwurm John Brown Russwurm (October 1, 1799 – June 9, 1851) was an abolitionist, newspaper publisher, and colonizer of Liberia, where he moved from the United States. He was born in Jamaica to an English father and enslaved mother. As a child he t ...

left to become governor of 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 ...

. As editor, Teague became a dedicated promoter of Liberian independence and combined

republicanism Republicanism is a political ideology centered on citizenship in a state organized as a republic. Historically, it emphasises the idea of self-rule and ranges from the rule of a representative minority or oligarchy to popular sovereignty. It ...

black nationalism Black nationalism is a type of racial nationalism or pan-nationalism which espouses the belief that black people are a race, and which seeks to develop and maintain a black racial and national identity. Black nationalist activism revolves ar ...

, and Christianity to make his case. He remained the newspaper's head until 1849, when he left to devote full attention to politics.

Political career

In 1835, Teague became Colonial Secretary for the Liberian colony. In 1839, he was the clerk of the convention which presented the settlers' views to the

regarding constitutional reform. He was later an instrumental figure at the Constitutional Convention of 1847—representing

Montserrado County Montserrado County is a county in the northwestern portion of the West African nation of Liberia containing its national capital, Monrovia. One of 15 counties that comprise the first-level of administrative division in the nation, it has 17 sub p ...

—in both debating and ratifying the Liberian Constitution of 1847. He also wrote the

, which protested against the treatment of African Americans as slaves and

second-class citizen A second-class citizen is a person who is systematically and actively discriminated against within a state or other political jurisdiction, despite their nominal status as a citizen or a legal resident there. While not necessarily slaves, ...

s in the United States. Teague became the republic's first Secretary of State after Liberia declared independence in 1847. Teague also composed Liberia's hymn of independence. He died in Liberia on May 21, 1853, and at the time was the country's attorney general.

References

External links

Masterpieces of Negro Eloquence
— Alice Moore Dunbar-Nelson
Lectures on Slavery, and Its Remedy
— Amos Augustus Phelps, Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society
Virginia Emigrants to Liberia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Teage, Hilary 1853 deaths 1802 births Members of the Senate of Liberia People from Virginia Foreign Ministers of Liberia Americo-Liberian people Attorneys general of Liberia Liberian journalists Liberian Baptists Liberian businesspeople Politicians from Monrovia Signatories of the Liberian Declaration of Independence 19th-century journalists Male journalists 19th-century male writers Liberian independence activists American colonization movement 19th-century Baptists 19th-century Liberian politicians