AH challenge- better Liberia

What would be required, since the foundation of Liberia in 1847 by freed American slaves, for this West African state to have NOT been such an oppressive, oligarchical, nepotistic kleptocracy which it became infamous for until Samuel Doe's coup in 1980 ? How could the Americo-Liberians have better made their new country instead of replicating GONE WITH THE WIND with an all-black cast ?
 
One weird option might be a larger Colonization Society effort. While they'd never succeed in relocation all the freemen like they hoped, a larger number of Americans in Liberia *might* allow for a larger, more mixed-within-the-local-population African-American-African base, integrating more with the society rather than becoming the isolated minority "ruling class" of OTL, assuming Malaria doesn't totally devastate this larger base.
 
Have the U.S. government stand up more for Liberia when border issues arise between it and the European powers.
 
I think you'd have to start with the ACS itself, and maybe more co-operation with the British and their similar effort with Sierra Leone.

If you could get Paul Cuffe to live a little longer, but more importantly, get around malaria, then the whole return to Africa movement for a lot of the free blacks takes on more meaning.

Honestly, the whole Liberian experiment has struck me as America's attempt at a reservation for blacks. I had been brainstorming a TL for Liberia, but its pretty dark (think Maryland actually enforcing its resettlement laws of 1832), and not sure if I should put in ASB.
 
Top