The Case of Sierra Leone

I. Introduction

I decided to write about Sierra Leone because the United States is now filled with different ethnics and cultures. I also work with people that have left their country to come to the states for a better life for their future. I wanted to know their history, culture, past and where their democracy stands today. I wanted to know more about the child soldiers, the role of the British in Sierra Leone and where they are now.

I wanted to know more about their constitutional democracy and culture. As you will see I have spoken about some of these topics listed above as well as the evolution of Sierra Leone, its independence and the meaning of their flag. I hope this paper serves well for the country of Sierra Leone past and present.

I've learned that Sierra Leone is a country in West Africa bordered by Guinea on the north and Liberia on the south and with the Atlantic Ocean on the west. The name Sierra Leone was adapted from the Portuguese name for the country: Serra Leoa, literally "Lion Mountain Range".

During the 18th century Sierra Leone was an important center of the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans. The capital Freetown was founded in 1787 by the Sierra Leone Company as a home for enslaved. Sierra Leone is now lead by President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah who took office in 1996. Sierra Leone has been at peace since 2002.

II. Evolution of the State

European contacts with Sierra Leone were among the first in West Africa, and Sierra Leone was one of the first West African British colonies. Foreign settlement did not occur until 1787, when the British prepared a refuge within the British Empire for freed slaves; that year, the site of Freetown received 400 freedmen from Great Britain. Disease and hostility from the indigenous people nearly eliminated the first