AHC: Make African American secessionism succeed

[XanXar]

Sometime from 1900 to the present day, create a situation in which the African American population has its own "homeland", this can range anywhere from something to similar to the reservations of the Native Americans or as far as an actual independent nation within the borders of OTL USA (or in the Caribbean, or even Africa, although both of these require of mass migration).

(Please no flame war on this, and also as a rule I'd like to add that discussing future events to create such a state is not allowed, we are talking purely historically).

 

[Ravenclaw]

A much more racist US taking ideas from South Africa might decide to create a "Bantustan" in the most undesirable/resource-poor regions of the south or west.

Alternatively, a Black Autonomous Socialist Republic is mentioned as having been established in Jello_Biafra's Reds!

The main issue is that African Americans simply do not have the numbers or power to unilaterally secede against the US Government. Therefore, barring a collapse of central government, the black state will have to exist at the mercy of the white majority. (And even if there was a collapse in governmental power, they would probably not be able to form a coherent state unless they already had a unified organization and/or outside help)

 

[Corbell Mark IV]

A much more racist US taking ideas from South Africa might decide to create a "Bantustan" in the most undesirable/resource-poor regions of the south or west.

Alternatively, a Black Autonomous Socialist Republic is mentioned as having been established in Jello_Biafra's Reds!

The main issue is that African Americans simply do not have the numbers or power to unilaterally secede against the US Government. Therefore, barring a collapse of central government, the black state will have to exist at the mercy of the white majority. (And even if there was a collapse in governmental power, they would probably not be able to form a coherent state unless they already had a unified organization and/or outside help)

Agreed.


I recall a reference in some ancient sci fi book to some "United Ghetto" Nation of blacks, perhaps after a Marxist/Race uprising...


I remember thinking it was a dumb idea, but PERHAPS, a far more racist America, (one where the Klan suppression did not work?) might set up a Native Indian Reservation style system with Black majority areas set up as "Bantustans" as a form of extreme segregation.

Perhaps in response to international condemnation for Human Rights Violations from a more progressive rest of the World?

Which would likely include as you suggest the poorest, least desirable regions of the South...


POD no later than the mid 1920s I would think.

Build from the height of Klan Power so that it becomes instead of a part of history, a continuing part of the Establishment.

Very unpleasant timeline, no doubt about it.

 

[jahenders]

The easiest answer is Liberia. It was essentially a US protectorate before/after the civil war and there was some encouragement for US freed slaves to move there. It would take more encouragement and more funding to get large numbers to emigrate there, but could be done. Perhaps political pressures in the US suggest that the fate of freed slaves in the US will be worse than IOTL, so going elsewhere looks more attractive.

Alternately, I guess ACW could have ended more violently such that US imposes a harsher peace. In that scenario, the US could seize land and create a new black state in the South. If the US really wanted to be rough, they could seize NW SC, W NC, extreme Western VA (not WV), the NE corner of GA, and far Eastern TN and make all that a state. The US could have a few sizable forts there and anyone would be welcome there, but (after emigration) blacks would be the vast majority population and would control all the political offices and police forces.

Sometime from 1900 to the present day, create a situation in which the African American population has its own "homeland", this can range anywhere from something to similar to the reservations of the Native Americans or as far as an actual independent nation within the borders of OTL USA (or in the Caribbean, or even Africa, although both of these require of mass migration).

(Please no flame war on this, and also as a rule I'd like to add that discussing future events to create such a state is not allowed, we are talking purely historically).

 

[Gog (♀)]

Liberia was one. Problem is that they weren't concentrated in one area enough for such a group to gain much power. I mean there were the black panthers but that was pretty small.

 

[zoomar]

You certainly need a PoD prior to 1900...probably as early as the 1820's to make this possible. Have the US take the position that freed Africans simply should not be assimilated into American culture. Free blacks are resettled into territories at the margins of the settled US states - say Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma the Dakotas, and perhaps Utah, displacing or possibly merging with native American tribes. Then as the US continues to move west and the ACW ends in the abolition of slavery, all of the former slaves are resettled in these territories. Eventually, they are admitted as states but continued racism and prejudice aimed at them leads to secession movements in the 20th century. Eventually secessionism results in the black states becoming dependent sovereign nations...independent in all but foreign policy.

 

[CaliGuy]

Alternately, I guess ACW could have ended more violently such that US imposes a harsher peace. In that scenario, the US could seize land and create a new black state in the South. If the US really wanted to be rough, they could seize NW SC, W NC, extreme Western VA (not WV), the NE corner of GA, and far Eastern TN and make all that a state. The US could have a few sizable forts there and anyone would be welcome there, but (after emigration) blacks would be the vast majority population and would control all the political offices and police forces.

Yeah, this certainly seems like an interesting idea; indeed, while unlikely, this Black U.S. state can even have a nominal right of secession from the Union if the Radical Republicans wanted to get really radical!

Also, I presume that Southern Whites might be even more violent against their Black population in this TL in order to get many of them to emigrate to this Black U.S. state.