By: Jennifer dos Santos

&Amy Planeta-LeClair

AFRICAN - AMERICAN FREEMEN

The American Identity

• African American free men gained their freedom in different ways. Some received it as a reward for good service from their masters. Others may have saved up and bought their freedom. (Boundless)

The American Identity

• Some black men were free because of manumission. There were also instances where the slave owner had passed away and the family did not wish to have any slaves so the slave was set free. (Boundless)

The American Identity (continued)

• Just because a black man was free did not mean his life was easy. The majority lived in poverty. (Boundless)

The American Identity (continued)

• The free black population living in the south was known for being quite outspoken about the horrors of slavery. (Boundless)

The American Identity (continued)

• During the American Revolution and the Civil War, there were a sizable number of free black men who contributed to the war effort. (Boundless)

The American Identity (continued)

• African American churches became the foundation of the free black community. The African Methodist Episcopal Church and the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church were two that supported and celebrated the black community. (Boundless)

The American Identity (continued)

• Free blacks also formed groups like the American Society for Free People of Color and the New York Manumission Society to strengthen and help their communities. (Boundless)

The American Identity (continued)

• They developed their own African American schools to educate their children. (Boundless)

The American Identity (continued)

• In 1827, a black-owned newspaper came into circulation and confronted many different controversial topics relative to African American roles in society. (Boundless)

The American Identity (continued)• Some very strong

free men became loud voices and great leaders for the abolishment of slavery. Fredrick Douglass, Charles Henry Langston and John Mercer Langston were perfect examples of distinguished activists. (Boundless)

The Economic Impact

• There are accounts of free black men in the south becoming slave owners themselves. Some tried to buy friends and family members to protect them from other owners. (Boundless)

The Economic Impact

• Slavery was an integral part of the northern and southern economy in the United States with the worlds demand for cotton. Free black men working as abolitionists had an upward battle to fight. (Boundless)

The Economic Impact (continued)

• Other free men, like Cyprian Ricard, who were rather well off, bought large plantations with many slaves for reasons of more wealth and profit. This was, of course, a very tiny portion of the population. (Boundless)

The Economic Impact (continued)

• While most free African Americans living in the United States were poor, there was a segment of the population who rose up to become professionals like doctors, lawyers and businessmen. (Boundless)

The Economic Impact (continued)

• Many of these middleclass professionals set up their businesses in the black community to give back to their own and avoid the racial discrimination from whites. (Boundless)

The Economic Impact (continued)

• In Washington D.C., free blacks had been allowed to live in the city, operate schools and contribute to the economy. (Boundless)

The Economic Impact (continued)

• Other work possibilities for black men came from helping the police in their area. Tasks might include hunting down runaway slaves or keeping the slave community in order. (Boundless)

The Economic Impact (continued)

• Schooling was one of the best ways for an African American to make a success out of himself. Wilberforce University, a school devoted to African American children, received most of its funding from wealthy, white plantation owners who wanted to pay for their interracial children’s education. (Boundless)

The Economic Impact (continued)

• While some places were open to employment for free black men, sometimes the opportunities weren’t there. “Many factories in the North did not hire African Americans, especially when Irish-American labor was available.” (History)

The Economic Impact (continued)

• While some places were open to employment for free black men, sometimes the opportunities weren’t there. “Many factories in the North did not hire African Americans, especially when Irish-American labor was available.” (History)

Political Issues/ Influence

• Freedom’s Journal was the first known black newspaper (1827). Articles were written by African Freemen who were very outspoken about the issues of slavery and racism. (Boundless)

Political Issues/ Influence

• Frederick Douglass was an African – American Freeman (former slave) who was considered a leader of the slavery abolitionist movement and very influential on this topic. (Boundless)

Political Issues/ Influence

• In general, blacks voices were prominent within their own communities, but Frederick Douglass (former slave and later free man) was one of the few free blacks who were able form relationships with white activists and contribute to the Abolitionist Movement in the North. (Boundless)

Political Issues/ Influence

• The issues of slavery, manumission and abolitionism were very controversial political topics, as they eventually led to the establishment of the Union and then the Civil War. (Boundless)

Political Issues/ Influence

There were many politically influential African American Freemen (born free):• John Sweet Rock – First black admitted to U.S.

Supreme Court Bar. (Boundless)• Charles Henry Langston – Slavery abolitionist and

activist in Kansas and Ohio. (Boundless)• John Mercer Langston – “Abolitionist, politician and

activist in Ohio, Washington, D.C. and Virginia. First dean of Howard University Law Department, first president of Virginia State University and in 1888, first black elected to US Congress.” (Boundless)

Political Issues/ Influence

•Free blacks were among the leaders of the abolitionist movement in the North. (Boundless)

Political Issues/ Influence

• Between the time of the Missouri Compromise (1820) – 1830, the number of Free Blacks rose to 319,000 (of which 150,000 lived in the Northern states). (Boundless)

Political Issues/ Influence

• Many Free Blacks were able to establish successful business (as lawyers, doctors, merchants and other businessmen) and, as such, were able to help establish a “black middle class” who were able to influence the social and political climates. (Boundless)

Summary

Most people (myself included) are not aware that not all African Americans, in the years before the Civil War, were slaves. There were many ‘Free Blacks’ who made substantial contributions to societal growth and establishment, the economy, political movements (most notably the abolition of slavery) and science.

Sources Cited:• Boundless. “Gender, Religion, Race, and Ethnicity in the

1800’s.” U. S. History to 1877. Boundless, 16 Dec 2014. 2 June 2015. http://www.boundless.com/users/282574/textbooks/us-history-to-1.

• History Central. “African-Americans in Antebellum America”. Web. 4 June 2015. https://www.historycentral.com/Ant/People/African.html

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