WI: Black Territory Created in the American West

What if as a means to end slavery, the American government like the Indian Territory in Oklahoma, a similar plan is done for African Americans by giving them their own land and location to start lives after the end of slavery? Would this work or not?
 
Yep, in the wrong forum.

The idea of a 'Negro' reservation or territory was brought up, but gained no traction. The core problem is the former slaves were still wanted, as slaves. The large landowners of the south, and other businessmen wanted cheap labor, as cheap as possible. Losing 15 or 20% of your population to a abrupt emigration does not keep labor cheap. If too many of the former slaves disappear west, then who knows the Rednecks might realize their labor is worth somethig too.

Keeping labor cheap was at the core of the race politics, its why there were attempts to discourage migration west, or north.
 

TFSmith121

Banned
What if as a means to end slavery, the American government like the Indian Territory in Oklahoma, a similar plan is done for African Americans by giving them their own land and location to start lives after the end of slavery? Would this work or not?

Except the Indian Territory was a trade-off for relocation and the surrender of tribal land rights east of the Mississppi; the freedmen didn't have anything comparable, and being citizens, to do so would fly in the face of the rights guaranteed postwar...

Best,
 
The Wisconsin Supreme Court declared the Fugitive Slave Act unconstitutional in 1855. They could have provided sanctuary to freed slaves and maybe did on a small scale.
 

CalBear

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Who is going to pay for all of the Slaves? Slaves were the most valuable commodity in the U.S. pre-ACW. There is a reason that the Southern landed class (and a good many what we would call "middle class") went to war to preserve slavery. The value of the slaves in the South, in 1860 was $3,160,000,000(1860 dollars) or roughly 75% of the GDP of the United States. The total federal budget in 1860 was $78,000,000 (again 1860 dollars). If 100% of the federal 1860 budget had gone to purchasing slaves, it would have been 40 years before the final slave was freed. Slavery was economic, pure and simple.

The emancipation of the slaves has been called the greatest confiscation of wealth in history (I might add the most justified as well). The only way you get that done is at bayonet point.
 
The problem is that most of the West was wanted for White settlement. Giving all that up just to dump ex-slaves is not something that would have passed in Congress.
 
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