AHC: Liberian Eastward Expansion

I'd like to see what it takes to have as large and prosperous Liberia as possible. I've read a little on the efforts of expansion during the Gardiner presidency and the political bullying the state faced by Britain and Germany during The Scramble. So what/who/whom would it take to provide Liberia with an internationally recognized claim to territories far east of its OTL boarders?

The images I've attached show colonial claims in Africa's at 1880 and the major farming systems of the continent. Ideally I would like to see a TL in which Liberia controls as much of the west coast as possible as the stretch of cereal crop growing regions.

Ideas I've had so far include a greater influx of more expansionist American immigrants post-ACW, different presidents, or more American aid be it governmental or private.


Scramble-for-Africa-1880-1913.png

y1860e07.jpg
 

TFSmith121

Banned
Liberia needs a great power patron to

Liberia needs a great power patron, however; the British and French can forestall any Liberian moves whenever they chose. Heck, the Germans, Spanish, Portuguese, and Belgians all presumably can as well.

The Americans, who one would see as the obvious choice, historically had little interest in West Africa, certainly not in the period of the "Scramble," at least. Changing that would require developments in the US that seem unlikely absent a major international conflict in, say, the 1860s...;)

Absent an interventionist US, language would suggest the British, possibly, if they see some value in having a proxy against the French or some other competitor, but that seems unlikely.

Don't really see any other options. It's outside the Med and any traditional area of Italian interest...

Best,
 
Liberia needs a great power patron, however; the British and French can forestall any Liberian moves whenever they chose. Heck, the Germans, Spanish, Portuguese, and Belgians all presumably can as well.

The Americans, who one would see as the obvious choice, historically had little interest in West Africa, certainly not in the period of the "Scramble," at least. Changing that would require developments in the US that seem unlikely absent a major international conflict in, say, the 1860s...;)

Absent an interventionist US, language would suggest the British, possibly, if they see some value in having a proxy against the French or some other competitor, but that seems unlikely.

Don't really see any other options. It's outside the Med and any traditional area of Italian interest...

Best,
So wink ;) unwink, a TL in which the British aggravate the US more during the ACW by helping he Confederacy and/or do less to negotiate the Alabama Claims should help to lead the US to aiding Liberia more than in OTL? I can see that, but will anything short of loosing the south to the CSA be enough is what I wonder.
 
British industrialists may have started the anti-slavery movement, but New England industrialists were not far behind. Both groups of industrialists tried to resettle Confederate slaves in Sierra Leone. The challenge is to make SL more profitable to British or New England industrialists. Since Africa has difficulty competing on international agricultural markets, maybe an alternative is NE industrialists helping SL artisans establish factories producing manufactured goods for African markets. As long as NE investors get their cut, do their care where goods are manufactured.
Next question: does Sierra Leone have rivers strong enough to power mills? Which natural resources give SL an advantage?
 
British industrialists may have started the anti-slavery movement, but New England industrialists were not far behind. Both groups of industrialists tried to resettle Confederate slaves in Sierra Leone. The challenge is to make SL more profitable to British or New England industrialists. Since Africa has difficulty competing on international agricultural markets, maybe an alternative is NE industrialists helping SL artisans establish factories producing manufactured goods for African markets. As long as NE investors get their cut, do their care where goods are manufactured.
Next question: does Sierra Leone have rivers strong enough to power mills? Which natural resources give SL an advantage?

This is supposed to be about Liberia...
 
Obviously, if Liberia included Sierra Leon, it would contain more of the west coast. This could conceivably help with eastward expansion as well. I notice that what is east of Liberia is Ivory Coast, and I'm not sure the European powers would be willing to allow Liberia to own that area.

Other questions to ask is: Is Liberia's expansion going to be fueled by the US giving stronger incentives for its former slaves to move there? Is there going to be any forced relocation? Is there going to be something like the Homestead Act, where black people can own land there if they improve upon it? Are there going to be incentives for people to move there from other countries as well, such as Brazil and Haiti? Whatever programs that the US puts in place to increase Liberia's population, what is their motivation?
 
Depending on how early the POD is and if there's more focus on private backers from multiple countries, *Sierra Leone and *Liberia may be one and the same.
How do you think they could be united?
Obviously, if Liberia included Sierra Leon, it would contain more of the west coast. This could conceivably help with eastward expansion as well. I notice that what is east of Liberia is Ivory Coast, and I'm not sure the European powers would be willing to allow Liberia to own that area.

Other questions to ask is: Is Liberia's expansion going to be fueled by the US giving stronger incentives for its former slaves to move there? Is there going to be any forced relocation? Is there going to be something like the Homestead Act, where black people can own land there if they improve upon it? Are there going to be incentives for people to move there from other countries as well, such as Brazil and Haiti? Whatever programs that the US puts in place to increase Liberia's population, what is their motivation?
I've given some thought inn regards to forced relocation. According to the book 'King Leopold's Ghost' former CSA officer and Alabama senetor John Tyler Morgan was an advocate of sending African Americans to work in Africa if for no other reason than to get them off US soil. In a TL where efforts such as he prevail more African Americans may face greater incentive, if not threats, to move to African colonies or Liberia to labor.

I'm also curious if a TL with an independent CSA my have a stronger effect on this course. Yes there will be many who won't see the removal of slaves and free blacks from the CSA as a good thing, since they provide valued labor, but many fearing the increasing presence of freed slaves may find means to have them sent to Africa. As well slaves escaped to the north may find reason to take their chances at a new life in Liberia if the western US territories don't appeal to them as much in such a TL.
 
It's my understanding that many abolitionists, Lincoln included, favored the idea of blacks moving to Liberia more than the pro-slavery crowd did. However, it's also my understanding that Lincoln changed his mind on the subject after trying to talk to black people about it.
 
Possibly also after finding out the way black Americans tended to die in job lots from local diseases, too. :)

No French defeat in 1870? (Bismark has some bad sausage? Franco-Austrian alliance?) France doesn't need to rebuild it's macho image by planting the flag all over the Sahara, west African colonization is slowed, Liberia has more of an opportunity to expand inland.
 

TFSmith121

Banned
Possibly...

So wink ;) unwink, a TL in which the British aggravate the US more during the ACW by helping he Confederacy and/or do less to negotiate the Alabama Claims should help to lead the US to aiding Liberia more than in OTL? I can see that, but will anything short of loosing the south to the CSA be enough is what I wonder.

Possibly...

Grant was willing to advocate for annexation and statehood for the Dominican Republic during his presidency, and the US did attend the Berlin conference of 1884-85...

Best,
 
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