Copy of 8-31-21 AAS Class Notes.docx.pdf - Free black...

Free black people In Antebellum America
African American Studies
Directions: Follow along during the lecture and fill in the blanks.
Demographics of Freedom
▪ In 1820, more black [woman] than black [men] were free.
▪ A larger portion of the free black population than of the white population
lived in [cities] .
▪ In Baltimore, Richmond, Norfolk, and other small cities of the Upper
South, free African Americans interacted with enslaved populations to
create communities embracing both groups.
▪ In 1860, the largest black urban population in the North lived in
Philadelphia.
Limited Freedom in the North
▪ Fugitive Slave Law of 1793
o Endangered
[free]
black people in the
[north]
o Those who had escaped slavery could be seized and returned to masters
o Any black northerner could be
[kidnapped]
, taken to a southern state, and
enslaved
o However: white northerners limited black freedom
▪ Enacted
[black laws]
o Rarely allowed black men to vote
o Segregated housing, schools, and transportation
o Limited employment opportunities
Limited Freedom in the North
▪ Black Laws