1. Chapter 7 Free Black People in Antebellum America

2. I. Demographics of Freedom
Three regions to consider
The North
The Upper South
The Deep South
Most free blacks lived in the Upper South
Few in the Deep South

3. The Slave, Free Black, and White Population of the United States in 1830
Map 7–1. The Slave, Free Black, and White Population of the United States in 1830
This map does not distinguish the slave from the free black population of the free states, although the process of gradual emancipation in several northeastern states was still underway and some black northerners remained enslaved.

4. Demographics Free African Americans in 1860 The North 226,152
The Upper South 224,963
The Deep South ,955
Total ,070
Total Population U.S ,957,471

5. The Free Black, Slave, and White Population by Region, 1860.
Figure 7–2. The Free Black, Slave, and White Population by Region, 1860.
These pie charts compare the free black, slave, and white populations of the North, upper South, and lower South in Note the near balance of the races in the lower South.

6. II. The Jacksonian Era Transportation revolution Steamboats
Turnpikes and Canals
National Road
Erie Canal
Railroads

7. The Jacksonian Era (cont.)
Market revolution
Commercial farming
Factory production
Reform movements
Universal white manhood suffrage

8. The Jacksonian Era cont.
Mass Political Parties – universal white suffrage, the right to vote
Nullification Crisis , S.C. attempted to nullify or block a US tax on imports
President Jackson protected states rights in taxation crisis
Whigs vs. Democrats
Democrats appealed to southern slave owners
Some Whigs opposed the slavery system but did not defend the rights of African-Americans

9. III. Limited Freedom in the North
Fugitive slave law, 1793
Seized and returned to slaveholder
Kidnapped and enslaved free blacks

10. Limited Freedom in the North (cont.)
Disfranchisement
Common in the North
Except New England
Property qualifications to deny right to vote
Strongest in the Old Northwest
Universal manhood suffrage evolved from one of class to one of race
Before Civil War, ninety-three percent of northern blacks live in states where right to vote was either denied or severely limited

11. Limited Freedom in the North (cont.)
Segregation
Exclusionary legislation in Old Northwest
Pervasive discrimination victimized all
Hotels, taverns, public transportation
Atmosphere of hate caused African Americans to distrust white people
Ghettos around the country”
Boston ~ “Nigger Hill”
Cincinnati ~ “Little Africa”
Southern visitors argued blacks better off as slaves

12. IV. Black Communities: The Urban North
Urban neighborhoods
Resilient families
Poverty
Class divisions
Church and volunteer organizations
Education

13. Black Communities: The Urban North (cont.)
Black family
Two-parent households common in 1820
Single-parent trend became increasingly common
Headed by women
High male mortality rate

14. Black Communities: The Urban North (cont.)
Employment
Rising European immigration filled jobs
Young black men excluded from apprenticeships
Violence used against employers
Led to deskilling of blacks
Menial labor
Low wages
Unemployment common

15. Black Communities: The Urban North (cont.)
Black elite
Ministers, doctors, lawyers, and undertakers
Carpenters, barbers, waiters, and coachman
Black institutions and culture
Anti-slavery movement
Racial justice
Bridge to sympathetic white people

16. Cool Down
Explain why many people felt that slaves had better lives than free blacks? Who do you feel had it worse?

18. V. African-American Institutions
First appeared during the revolutionary era, then increased and multiplied.
Schools
Mutual aid organizations
Newspapers and journals
Theaters

19. African-American Institutions (cont.)
Black churches
Spoke against slavery and racial oppression
Many remained affiliated with white churches
Many northern blacks attended white churches
Segregated, separate Sunday schools for black children
Took communion after white people
African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME)
17,000 members in U.S. and Canada

20. African-American Institutions (cont.)
Public schools
Tax-supported public schools started in Massachusetts in 1827
Racially segregated in the North between
Believed black children lacked mental capacity
Lowered the quality of education
Feared black students attracted more blacks to district
Many black children excluded from public schools

21. Anti-Slavery Almanac
In 1834 a white mob in Canterbury, Connecticut attacked a school for “colored girls” that had been established by a white woman named Prudence Crandall. This drawing, published in 1839 by abolitionists, dramatizes the incident.

22. African-American Institutions (cont.)
White people were reluctant to spend tax dollars on black schools
Lack of funds meant poor education or none at all
White teachers were paid less for teaching in black schools
Black leaders divided on education:
1845 Mass. Integrated public schools, except Boston
1855 Boston integrated
Most northern schools remained segregated
By 1860 most colleges accepted black students

23. VI. Free Blacks: The Upper South
Family ties to slaves
Increased suffering for those enslaved
The sale south of friends and loved ones
Gained a reputation for harboring fugitives
Greater risk of being enslaved
An assumption of slavery in most states
Problems traveling, congregating, owning firearms
Greater exclusion than northern counterparts
Hotels, trains, parks, hospitals, etc.

24. Free Blacks: The Upper South (cont.)
Employment
Urban areas before 1850
Less competition from European immigrants
Most free black men were unskilled laborers or waiters
Most free black women washed clothes or worked as domestic servants
Schools
No racial integration and no public funding
Most black children received no formal education
Churches and individuals provided sporadic opportunities

25. VII. Free Blacks: The Deep South
No revolutionary rhetoric nor changing economy
Fewer manumissions
Usually mixed-race children
Three-caste system in Deep South
Whites, free blacks, and slaves
Strong ties between free blacks and former masters
Loans, jobs, and protection cemented this bond
Better off economically than free black people in other regions
Half live in cities
Stronger position in skilled trades
Increased conflict and tension among white skilled workers

26. Cool Down Why do you think Black schools were not properly funded?
Why do you think white slave owners would not want black people to be educated?