In February 1820, the ship Elizabeth later dubbed the "Mayflower of Liberia" departed New York Harbor, carrying 86 free Black Americans toward West Africa. Funded by the American Colonization Society (ACS) and the U.S. government, this voyage represented the first major organized "Back-to-Africa" effort.​The movement was born from a complex, often conflicting mix of motives. While some emigrants sought true self-determination and an escape from systemic oppression, many ACS leaders believed full racial integration in America was impossible. ​The settlers initially landed at Sherbro Island in Sierra Leone. However, the mission faced immediate hardships, including disease and lack of resources. Despite these early struggles, this group laid the foundational stones for what would eventually become the Republic of Liberia in 1847, forever altering the geopolitical landscape of West Africa.