There has been a couple of recent threads about forming an Industrial African nation. The biggest problem with any post 1900 POD is the lack of education/technology in any african society. A possible fix is a POD in the 1850's that eventually leads to massive emigration of freed slaves to Liberia.
In OTL, the American Colonization Society was forced to proclaim Liberia an independant nation in 1847 to prevent British annexation, with approximately 10K freed black settlers in the entire country (in addition to native tribesmen). The POD will be at this point, with several prominent members of American society taking a seperate diplomatic mission to London to halt any military actions against the Liberian colony. In the decade leading to the ACW, the Underground Railroad shifts it's focus from moving escaped slaves to the northern states and Canada to various ports, either in Philidelphia or southern Florida, and transporting the slaves to Liberia. Further, the free black community becomes more interested in emegration due to racism and lack of oppurtunity for jobs in the North.
By the start of the ACW, approximately 50,000 free and escaped slaves had been emigrated to Liberia. The ACW goes forward as in OTL. Lincoln survives the assassination attempt, and his resolve to emigrate the newly freed blacks is increased, as he sees the presence of the blacks as a blockage to healing the nation that is so divided.
By 1872, as Lincoln hands off the Presidency to Grant, over 1,000,000 free blacks have been emigrated to Liberia. By 1880, as Grant finally dies from his alcoholism, almost 2,000,000 free blacks have been emigrated. The government program of emigration ends at this point, but the US continues to provide military and financial aide to their colony. More importantly, American industry invests in the country, taking advantage of the local mineral and Iron deposits.
Liberia becomes an independant nation in 1905, with a beaming Teddy Roosevelt signing a treaty in Modovia, a city with a mixture of trade, industry, and agriculture, that could have easily been located in Missouri as Africa.
This could go on with Liberia absorbing the Ivory Coast, Sierra Lione, and other territory as their imperial masters become inattentive. By post WWII, Liberia could be a large, developed, industrial nation that rivals some first world nation in infrastructure and education.
The obvious issue, as it was in OTL, was the financial cost of such an emigraion, and the overwhelming majority of freed blacks did not want to go back to Africa.
In OTL, the American Colonization Society was forced to proclaim Liberia an independant nation in 1847 to prevent British annexation, with approximately 10K freed black settlers in the entire country (in addition to native tribesmen). The POD will be at this point, with several prominent members of American society taking a seperate diplomatic mission to London to halt any military actions against the Liberian colony. In the decade leading to the ACW, the Underground Railroad shifts it's focus from moving escaped slaves to the northern states and Canada to various ports, either in Philidelphia or southern Florida, and transporting the slaves to Liberia. Further, the free black community becomes more interested in emegration due to racism and lack of oppurtunity for jobs in the North.
By the start of the ACW, approximately 50,000 free and escaped slaves had been emigrated to Liberia. The ACW goes forward as in OTL. Lincoln survives the assassination attempt, and his resolve to emigrate the newly freed blacks is increased, as he sees the presence of the blacks as a blockage to healing the nation that is so divided.
By 1872, as Lincoln hands off the Presidency to Grant, over 1,000,000 free blacks have been emigrated to Liberia. By 1880, as Grant finally dies from his alcoholism, almost 2,000,000 free blacks have been emigrated. The government program of emigration ends at this point, but the US continues to provide military and financial aide to their colony. More importantly, American industry invests in the country, taking advantage of the local mineral and Iron deposits.
Liberia becomes an independant nation in 1905, with a beaming Teddy Roosevelt signing a treaty in Modovia, a city with a mixture of trade, industry, and agriculture, that could have easily been located in Missouri as Africa.
This could go on with Liberia absorbing the Ivory Coast, Sierra Lione, and other territory as their imperial masters become inattentive. By post WWII, Liberia could be a large, developed, industrial nation that rivals some first world nation in infrastructure and education.
The obvious issue, as it was in OTL, was the financial cost of such an emigraion, and the overwhelming majority of freed blacks did not want to go back to Africa.