Free Black People in
Antebellum America
(1820-1861)
The Demographics, Limited Freedom and
Opportunities in the North
Demographics of Freedom
Free Blacks in 1820: 2.4% of U.S. pop. and 3% of Southern pop.
Free Blacks in 1860: 1.6% of U.S. pop. and 2.1% of Southern pop.
This decline in population percentage for free blacks was attributed to the
massive white migration to the United States in the middle to late 19th century.
In larger cities, there was a higher
concentration of African Americans.
Baltimore: 12% population
Philadelphia: 4.2% population (22,185)
The Jacksonian Era
The War of 1812 led to drastic changes in the U.S.
1) Market Revolution in the north  commercial farming,
factory production, and national markets
2) Transportation Improvements  turnpikes & canals link
the nation and railroads connect urban to rural.
These two impacts, along with the expansion of cities, led to a large urban class
which shifted the social order.
Universal male suffrage was also a major shift during this time and this led to a
change in the political trends of the time.
Andrew Jackson became president in
1828 for the Democratic party.
He was a slaveholder that promoted
states’ rights, economic localism, and the
expansion of slavery.
Limited Freedom in the North
The Fugitive Slave Law of 1793 extended the
power of southern masters into northern
states.
This ensured that escaped slaves could be
seized and returned to their former masters.
Whites who aided fugitive slaves
would be fined and/or jailed.
But no one was safe under this law. Frequently free blacks in the
north were kidnapped and brought down south into a life of
slavery.
Black Laws
Also during this time came the belief that each ethnic and racial group had its
own inherent spirit. This came out of the Romantic Age of the 1800’s.
Whites viewed themselves as self-reliant, intellectually curious, and capable of selfgoverning.
Blacks were viewed as incapable of honest work, posed competition for jobs and
corrupted.
Many believed that southerners had been degraded through their interactions with
blacks and laws were established in several northern states to prohibit black
settlement.
Ohio: legal evidence of free status and $500 bond paid.
Illinois: black settlers would be whipped unless they leave.
Indiana: ratified constitution banning blacks (MI, IO, WI)
Fortunately these laws were rarely enforced and many
tolerated low populations of free blacks.
Disenfranchisement

Blacks were denied the right to vote in most
of the north (except N.E.)
◦ The Old Northwest would not allow blacks to
vote prior to the Civil War.
◦ Older northern states had allowed voting rights,
but the Jacksonian democracy attempted to
disrupt this practice.

Reasons for Opposition:
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Blacks would be elected to office.
Blacks would corrupt the political process.
Blacks would mix socially with whites.
Angry whites would react violently.
Disenfranchisement in States
New Jersey: No black voters (1807) and
white only suffrage provision (1844)
 Connecticut: No new black voters allowed.
 Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, and
Massachusetts did not take measures to
deny black suffrage.
 Rhode Island: No black suffrage (1822) and
universal suffrage (1842)
 New York: Raised property qualifications for
blacks (1821)

Segregation
All northern blacks felt the effects of segregation.
Hotels, taverns, and resorts banned blacks unless they were a servant for the
whites attending.
Blacks were banned from lecture halls, art exhibits, and religious revivals– or they
had to attend at different times then whites.
Steamboats allowed for black passengers, but they could not rent cabins and would
have to remain on deck (even in storms and at night). They also had segregated
cars on railroads, such as the “Jim Crow,” cars in Massachusetts.
Distrust of whites was prevalent in the north, and this was due to
the hypocrisy blacks felt in day to day life.
Segregated black cities were safe from discrimination, but slum-like.
These included: “Nigger Hill” (Boston), “Little Africa” (Cincinnati),
“Hayti” (Pittsburg), and “Southside” (Philadelphia)
Black Communities in the Urban North
Urban neighborhoods nurtured black community life, and many had developed
from the emerging free black communities.
These communities were characterized by resilient families, poverty, class divisions,
active church congregations, voluntary organizations, and a concern for education.
The Black Family
Northern blacks established their own households in the early 19th century.
Average black family in northern cities had two parents and two to four children.
Northeast and Old Northwest developed a trend of single parent families.
This trend may have
been due to low
employment
opportunities for black
males, as well as the
high mortality rate.
Many families took in
boarders to help pay
bills.
The Struggle for Employment
The flood of European immigrants in the 19th century caused skilled black
laborers to suffer.
White workers also excluded blacks from apprenticeships, refused to work with
blacks, and violently protested the hiring of blacks when whites were unemployed.
Irish immigrants especially hurt the black opportunities in the north.
Only 0.5% of black workers
had factory jobs.
80% of women washed
clothes and were domestic
servants.
Many black males found
employment as sailors, and
by 1850 they made up 50%
of merchant and whaling
vessels crews.
The Northern Black Elite
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Black elite emerged between 1800-1860.
Talent, wealth, occupation, family connections,
complexion, and education.
Led in the development of black institutions and
culture, antislavery movements, and the struggle
of racial injustice.
Physicians, lawyers, ministers, and undertakers
would cater to an exclusively black clientele in
segregated neighborhoods.
Complexion played an interesting role:
◦ Whites were more likely to hire someone of “mixed”
race.
◦ Notions of “White beauty” influenced the bride
choice at this time.
Black Professionals
James McCune Smith
John S. Rock
These professionals were
examples of the black elite that
emerged. Many worked without
“degrees” since denied the right
to higher education.
Macon B. Allen
Robert Morris
Artists & Musicians
Many black artists depicted scenes of slavery or
used African American themes.
Robert S. Duncanson &
Edmonia Lewis
Musicians did not enjoy the reputation of artists,
but circles of musicians performed orchestra
pieces in cities such as Philadelphia, New
Orleans, Boston, Cleveland, New York,
Baltimore, and St. Louis.
Artwork by Robert S. Duncanson
Black Authors
The Antebellum period was considered a Golden Age
for African American literature.
The authors portrayed an America that had not lived
up to its revolutionary ideals.
Autobiographies recounted slave life and harrowing
stories of escape.