Most free African Americans were descendants of enslaved people who were freed during and after the American Revolution. Others had bought their freedom. In 1860, over 200,000 free blacks lived in the South. Most lived in Maryland and Delaware, where slavery was in decline. Others lived in cities such as New Orleans, Richmond, and Charleston.
Many free African Americans reached an impressive level of success. Working as farmers, laborers, and artisans, such as blacksmiths, carpenters, and cobblers, they contributed to and influenced southern life. Some owned and operated businesses, such as inns and barbershops. A few became large plantation owners, growing cotton and owning enslaved workers.
White slave owners did not like free African Americans living in the South. They feared that free African Americans set a dangerous example, encouraging enslaved African Americans to rebel. Also, slave owners justified slavery by claiming that African Americans could not take care of themselves. Free African Americans proved this idea wrong.
To discourage free African Americans, southern states passed laws that made life even harder for them. Free African Americans were not allowed to vote or travel. In some southern states, they had to move out of the state or risk the chance of being kidnapped and enslaved.
Despite these limits, free African Americans were able to make a life for themselves and make valuable contributions to southern life. For example, Norbert Rillieux (RIHL yoo) invented a machine that revolutionized the way sugar was refined. Another inventor, Henry Blair, patented a seed planter.Most worked as field hands on cotton plantations. Both men and women cleared new land and planted and harvested crops. Children helped by pulling weeds, collecting wood, and carrying water to the field hands. By the time they were teenagers, they worked between 12 and 14 hours a day. Daily labor in the fields bound enslaved workers into a community of people who tried to help and protect one another.
On large plantations, some enslaved African Americans had better positions. They might work as household servants or as skilled artisans, such as carpenters and blacksmiths. Such jobs might entitle workers to better food or clothing than field hands. A few enslaved people worked in cities. Their earnings, however, belonged to their owners. Unlike free African Americans, enslaved African Americans could not easily start businesses of their own. Another major difference between the social circumstances of free and enslaved African Americans was that enslaved African American families could be broken up by their owners, with family members sold separately. While they faced discriminations, free African American families were not forced to separate.The life of enslaved African Americans was determined by strict laws and the practices of individual slave owners. Conditions varied from plantation to plantation. Some owners made sure their enslaved workers had clean cabins, decent food, and warm clothes. Other planters spent as little as possible on their enslaved workers.Slave Codes Southern states passed laws known as slave codes to keep enslaved African Americans from either running away or rebelling. These codes applied to enslaved blacks but not to free blacks. Under the codes, enslaved African Americans were forbidden to gather in groups of more than three.
They could not leave their owner's land without a written pass from their owner. They were not allowed to own guns. Slave codes also made it a crime for enslaved African Americans to learn how to read and write. Owners hoped that this law would make it hard for African Americans to escape slavery. They reasoned that uneducated enslaved African Americans who escaped their owners would not be able to use maps or read train schedules. They would not be able to find their way north.Slave owners expected enslaved children to work alongside their parents, such as these children working on a cotton field in Georgia.
Some laws were meant to protect enslaved African Americans, but only from the worst forms of abuse. However, enslaved African Americans did not have the right to testify in court. As a result, they were not able to bring charges against owners who abused them.
Enslaved African Americans had only one real protection against mistreatment. Owners looked on their enslaved workers as valuable property. Most slave owners wanted to keep this human property healthy and productive.
Hard Work Even the kindest owners insisted that their enslaved workers work long, hard days. Enslaved African Americans worked from “can see to can't see,” or from dawn to dusk, up to 16 hours a day. Frederick Douglass, who escaped slavery, recalled his life under one harsh master:
We were worked in all weathers. It was never too hot or too cold; it could never rain, blow, hail, or snow too hard for us to work in the field. Work, work, work. … The longest days were too short for him and the shortest nights too long for him. —Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave Family Life It was hard for enslaved African Americans to keep their families together. Southern laws did not recognize slave marriages or slave families. As a result, owners could sell a husband and wife to different buyers. Children were often taken from their parents and sold.Music served as a source of solace and hope for enslaved African Americans. The spiritual is closely associated with the culture of slavery.
On large plantations, many enslaved families did manage to stay together. For those African Americans, the family was a source of strength, pride, and love. Grandparents, parents, children, aunts, uncles, and cousins formed a close-knit group. This idea of an extended family had its roots in Africa.
Enslaved African Americans preserved other traditions as well. Parents taught their children traditional African stories and songs. They used folk tales to pass on African history and moral beliefs.
Religion Offers Hope By the 1800s, many enslaved African Americans were devout Christians. Planters often allowed white ministers to preach to their slaves. African Americans also had their own preachers and beliefs.
Religion helped African Americans cope with the harshness of slave life. Bible stories about how the ancient Hebrews had escaped from slavery inspired a new type of religious song called a spiritual. As they worked in the fields, enslaved workers would often sing about a coming day of freedom. Enslaved African Americans had to be cautious even in their religious practice. While they sang of freedom in spirituals, the words of the spirituals suggested that this freedom would come after death, so as not to alarm slave owners.
From reading this answer this question Analyze the economic, social, and political conditions of free and enslaved African Americans
The economic conditions of free African Americans were varied but generally limited. Many worked as farmers, laborers, or artisans, contributing to the southern economy. Some were able to own and operate their own businesses, while a few even became wealthy plantation owners. However, they faced legal restrictions and discrimination that made it difficult to fully prosper. They were often not allowed to vote or travel freely, and faced the constant threat of being kidnapped and enslaved.
Enslaved African Americans, on the other hand, had no economic freedom. They were considered property and were forced to work long, grueling hours on plantations, primarily as field hands on cotton plantations. They had no right to their earnings and could not start businesses of their own. The economic conditions of enslaved African Americans were determined by their owners, with some providing decent living conditions and others providing minimal care.
Socially, free African Americans had more opportunities for success and achievement than their enslaved counterparts. They were able to establish communities and contribute to southern life as farmers, laborers, and artisans. Many were able to preserve their cultural traditions and pass them on to future generations. However, they still faced discrimination and were often viewed with suspicion by white slave owners.
Enslaved African Americans faced severe social injustices. They were not recognized legally as individuals or families, and were often separated from loved ones through the sale of slaves. They were not allowed to gather in groups or own guns, and were forbidden from learning to read and write. Enslaved African Americans were considered property and were subject to strict slave codes that limited their freedoms and abilities to resist their enslavement.
Politically, neither free nor enslaved African Americans had significant rights or representation. Free African Americans were often denied the right to vote and faced legal restrictions on their movement. Enslaved African Americans had no political rights or voice, as they were considered property and not recognized legally as individuals.
Overall, while free African Americans had more economic and social opportunities, both free and enslaved African Americans faced significant limitations and injustices. The political conditions for both groups were characterized by restrictions and lack of representation.
shorten your answer
Both free and enslaved African Americans faced economic, social, and political challenges. Free African Americans worked as farmers, laborers, and artisans, contributing to the southern economy. Some even became wealthy plantation owners. However, they faced restrictions and discrimination, such as being unable to vote or travel freely.
Enslaved African Americans had no economic freedom and were forced to work long hours on plantations. Their living conditions varied, but they had no control over their earnings and could not start businesses. Socially, free African Americans had more opportunities for success and cultural preservation, but still faced discrimination. Enslaved African Americans were not recognized as individuals or families, experienced separation, and were subject to strict slave codes.
Politically, neither group had significant rights or representation. Free African Americans were often denied the right to vote, while enslaved African Americans had no political rights or voice. Overall, both groups faced limitations and injustices in their economic, social, and political conditions.
from reading the passage answer this question Explain the impact of slavery and how it shaped Southern life
Slavery had a profound impact on Southern life, shaping various aspects of society and the economy. Firstly, slavery was the foundation of Southern agriculture, particularly in the production of cash crops such as cotton. Enslaved African Americans primarily worked on plantations, playing a crucial role in cultivating and harvesting crops. Their labor was essential for the South's economic prosperity and dominance in the international cotton market.
The institution of slavery also influenced the social hierarchy and power dynamics in the South. White slaveholders held significant wealth and controlled both the economic and political systems. Enslaved African Americans, on the other hand, were stripped of their freedom, rights, and humanity. They were treated as property, subjected to harsh working conditions, and often endured physical and emotional abuse.
Furthermore, slavery impacted Southern culture and identity. It influenced customs, traditions, and the overall social fabric of the region. Slavery supported the development of a patriarchal society, where white men held authority over both enslaved individuals and their own families. The ideology of white supremacy was deeply ingrained in Southern society, justifying the oppression and mistreatment of African Americans.
Slavery also influenced the political landscape of the South. The institution was protected by laws and regulations such as the slave codes that limited the rights of enslaved individuals, denied them education, prevented them from gathering in groups, and prohibited their literacy. Slaveholders exercised significant political power, shaping legislation to protect their interests, including the ability to buy, sell, and own enslaved people.
Overall, slavery was deeply entrenched in Southern life, shaping the region's economy, social structures, culture, and political landscape. The brutal exploitation and dehumanization of enslaved African Americans contributed to the systemic racism that persists in American society today.