On this day in 1847, the Republic of Liberia, formerly a colony of the American Colonization Society, a group formed to return freed African American slaves to Africa, declared its independence. It was the first West African nation to become a democratic republic. Between 1822 and the American Civil War approximately 15,000 African Americans settled in Liberia.

Isabella Major of Monrovia, Liberia, made this Liberian Star, or Star of Bethlehem, in 1972. The owners of the quilt live in Flint Michigan, and documented the quilt, which was a gift to them, during the Michigan Quilt Project. According to the owners, the quilt was so special that “they put the quilt on their bed only on the anniversaries of their wedding and her mother’s death.”

View this quilt on The Quilt Index to read more about it’s history, design and construction. Be sure to use the zoom tool for a detailed view.

Source:
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/liberian-independence-proclaimed

Posted by Amy E. Milne
Executive Director, Quilt Alliance
amy.milne@quiltalliance.org