Sierra Leone–United States relations
bilateral relations between United States and Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone–United States relations are bilateral relations between Sierra Leone and the United States.
Pre-independence
United States-Sierra Leone relations date back at least to 1748 when the London firm of Grant, Sargent, and Oswald rebuilt the abandoned trading fort at Bunce Island and focused on supplying slaves to Charleston, South Carolina where local rice planters paid a premium for slaves from Sierra Leone and the neighboring areas in West Africa's Rice Coast because of their specialized knowledge and skill in rice cultivation.
Richard Oswald was the principal partner in the firm Grant, Sargent, and Oswald. Henry Laurens had established a close personal and business relationship with Oswald when he was sent to Great Britain to learn business with the Oswald family trading firm. Every year Oswald's agents at Bunce island dispatched to Charleston several ships carrying 250 to 350 slaves. Laurens advertised the slaves and sold them at auction to local rice planters, earning a ten percent commission. He used his earnings to purchase Carolina rice which he sent to Oswald in London, often in the same ship that brought the slaves from Bunce Island. The slave and rice trading connection between Oswald and Laurens—between Sierra Leone and South Carolina—made both men wealthy, propelled both into politics, and eventually affected the course of American history. Oswald advised Prime Minister Lord North on trade regulations and the best way to respond to the Rebellion in America". Meanwhile, Laurens served as President of the Second Continental Congress and was later dispatched to The Hague to negotiate a treaty for Dutch support.
The public source identifies “Sierra Leone–United States relations” as bilateral relations between United States and Sierra Leone. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Sierra, Leone and United.
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