Abstract
The Colony of Sierra Leone originated in 1787 when English settlers bought a piece of land intended as a home for natives of Africa who were waifs in London. The land was later used as a settlement for Africans rescued from slave-ships. The hinterland was declared a British protectorate on 21 Aug. 1896. Sierra Leone became independent as a member state of the British Commonwealth on 27 April 1961. In a general election in March 1967, Dr Siaka Stevens’ All People’s Congress came to power and was installed despite a military coup to prevent his taking office. Sierra Leone became a republic on 19 April 1971 with Dr Siaka Stevens as executive president. Following a referendum in June 1978, a new constitution was instituted under which the ruling All People’s Congress became the sole legal party.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Further Reading
The Colony of Sierra Leone originated in 1787 when English settlers bought a piece of land intended as a home for natives of Africa who were waifs in London. The land was later used as a settlement for Africans rescued from slave-ships. The hinterland was declared a British protectorate on 21 Aug. 1896. Sierra Leone became independent as a member state of the British Commonwealth on 27 April 1961. In a general election in March 1967, Dr Siaka Stevens’ All People’s Congress came to power and was installed despite a military coup to prevent his taking office. Sierra Leone became a republic on 19 April 1971 with Dr Siaka Stevens as executive president. Following a referendum in June 1978, a new constitution was instituted under which the ruling All People’s Congress became the sole legal party.
Binns, Margaret and J. Anthony, Sierra Leone. [Bibliography] ABC-Clio, Oxford and Santa Barbara (CA), 1992
Conteh-Morgan, E. and Dixon-Fyle, M., Sierra Leone at the End of the Twentieth Century: History, Politics, and Society. Peter Lang Publishing, Berne, 1999
Ferme, M., The Underneath of Things: Violence, History, and the Everyday in Sierra Leone. Univ. of California Press, 2001
National statistical office: Statistics Sierra Leone, A. J. Momoh Street, Tower Hill, P.M.B. 595, Freetown.
Editor information
Copyright information
© 2005 Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Turner, B. (2005). Sierra Leone. In: Turner, B. (eds) The Statesman’s Yearbook. The Statesman’s Yearbook. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230271340_263
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230271340_263
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-4039-1482-8
Online ISBN: 978-0-230-27134-0
eBook Packages: Palgrave Political & Intern. Studies CollectionPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)