Liberia owes its foundation to the American Colonization Society; founded in 1816 to resettle freed American slaves in Africa. A colonization attempt in Sierra Leone failed in 1815. Six years later the native rulers granted a tract of land on Cape Mesurado, at the mouth of the Saint Paul River, to representatives of the United States and the first Americo-Liberians, led by Jehudi Ashmun. , the agreement began. In 1824 an American agent for the company, Ralph Randolph Gurley, named the new colony Liberia and the Cape Mesurado settlement Monrovia. Other separate settlements were established along the coast over the next 20 years. Soon, however, conflicts arose between the colonists and society in the United States. By the time Joseph Jenkins Roberts became the first black governor in 1841, the decision had been made to give the colonists almost complete control of the government. A constitution modeled on that of the United States was drafted, and Liberia became an independent republic in July 1847. Roberts was its first president, serving until 1856. Liberia was recognized by Great Britain in 1848, by France in 1852, and by the United States in 1862. Americo-Liberian communities survived a precarious existence during the 19th century. Claims to the interior territory were contested not only by the indigenous Mandinka (also known as Mandingo or Malinke), Kru, and Gola peoples, but also by European states that did not recognize Liberian jurisdiction over the interior. US support led to a series of agreements with Great Britain and France between 1892 and 1911, which marked the current borders. (Liberian control over the populations of the interior, however, was not fully secured until the 1940s.) Loans from Britain and the United States partially alleviated the country's financial difficulties. Liberia declared war on Germany on 14 August 1917, which gave the Allies an additional base in West Africa during World War I (1914-1918). In 1926 the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company opened a rubber plantation on 400,000 hectares (1 million acres) of land granted by the Liberian government the year before. Rubber production became the mainstay of the nation's economy. In 1931 the League of Nations confirmed that American-Liberians were using native Africans for forced labor, equivalent to slavery. The ensuing scandal involved the highest government officials; the president and vice president... in the center of the paper... otestant. Islam made progress among the populations of the interior, who largely retained their animist religions. Overall, approximately 70% of the population follows traditional religions and 20% are Muslims. English is the official language of Liberia, but it is only spoken by about a fifth of the population. The remainder speak various African languages ​​that mainly belong to the Mande, Western Atlantic, or Kwa language groups. Malaria, tuberculosis, yaws and leprosy are prevalent in Liberia. In 2001 the average life expectancy at birth was 53 years for women and 50 years for men; the infant mortality rate was 132 per 1,000 live births. Some hospitals are run by the central government, but there is no national social care system. The Compulsory Education Act of 1912 provides for free, compulsory education for children between the ages of 6 and 16. However, the government's attempts to implement this law are hampered. by a paucity of educational facilities, and only 33% of children of primary school age were receiving an education in 1996. Only 71% of the population was literate in 2001. The University of Liberia, Monrovia and several colleges, provide higher education.