After exploring the etymology and meaning of national categories in Sierra Leone, Chapter 5 looks at the leadership and organization of these nations. Within the historiography, African diaspora “nations” are often interpreted as nostalgic recreations of particular homelands, defined by linguistic affinity. This chapter demonstrates how national organizations in Sierra Leone were not simply about perpetuating language and culture in exile, but were forms of communal welfare born out of the exigencies of displacement to an unfamiliar setting. “National” identities were also political identities as Liberated Africans were able to politically mobilize to a greater degree than enslaved Africans in the Americas to make demands on the colonial government. This chapter traces the evolution of these national organizations from mutual assistance associations to political entities with complex leadership structures of kings, headmen, and companies.