Every year since 1848 the Liberian president has delivered a state of the nation speech to parliament, reflecting in detail the country's current political, social, economic and ethno-cultural situation. Liberia, the first and for over one hundred years, the only independent state in black Africa, was founded in 1847 by freed slaves with the assistance of the American Colonization Society looking to the political system of the USA as an example.The Annual Messages of the Presidents of Liberia to the National Legislature 1848-2010 presents these documents, which are scattered in numerous American and African archives, for the first time in single publication. The 146 speeches are supplemented by biographies of the presidents and a scholarly introduction by the editor.This publication represents a first-class source on African history and politics of the last 160 years.