The Revolution and Emancipation

1. The Revolution and Emancipation

2. What forces worked for black freedom in the first ears after the revolution?

3. Explain the role of Quakers in the Anti-Slavery Movement • Philosophy: believed in human conscience, human brotherhood and non-violence • Economic interests: engaged in international business ventures that required educated, efficient, moral workers (opposite of what slavery produces!) • They concluded slavery was sinful • Even though many had previously engaged in it • Responsible for the development of anti-slavery societies

4. What arguments did Anti-slavery societies make in favor of abolition? • Blacks risked their lives in the Revolutionary War • African Americans made religious and economic progress in the North • Prevent black rebellions

5. What was the Impact of the Revolutionary War on Slavery? • North moves towards abolition • 20,000 blacks left with British • Expanding free black class • 100,000 slaves escaped from masters in the South • (In South Carolina, 25,000 escaped, 30% of the state’s black population left)

6. Where did most newly freed slaves settle after the war? • Chesapeake (DE, MA, VA) • Substantial free black population emerges • Black Population in VA

7. Where did other newly freed slaves settle after the war? • South Carolina & Georgia • Free black class remained tiny • Most free black people were the children of white slave owners • Less independent of former masters (that Chesapeake blacks) • Lighter complexion

8. Why do some move to the cities? • In the North & Chesapeake, free blacks often moved to cities • Mostly black women • They could more easily find jobs as domestics in the cities than in rural areas • Cities offer opportunities for community development

9. Why does it take generations for stable, urban, two-parent households to emerge? • Although African Americans often used their new mobility to reunite families disrupted by slavery, relocating to a city could disrupt families that had survived enslavement

10. What economic challenges did newly freed black people face in the years after the Revolution? • Emerged from slavery w/o economic resources to become independent farmers, shopkeepers, or tradespeople • North: Economic restraints force some to remain with formers masters after emancipation • White artisans use legal & illegal tactics against black competition • Difficult for blacks with skills to find employment

11. If you could name yourself, what name would you pick?

12. Signify freedom • Freedom, liberty, justice • Honor African ancestry and complexion • Africa, Guinea, Brown, Coal • Social aspirations • Use biblical surnames of white people

13. African Americans in the New Nation

14. 1783-1820 • Forces for Freedom • Forces for Slavery • The Emergence of Free Black Communities • Black Leaders and Choices • War and Politics

15. Forces for Freedom

16. Why was slavery no-longer economically essential in the north? • Farmers could more efficiently hire hands during the labor-intensive seasons of planting and harvesting than they could maintain a year-round slave labor force • Northern slaveholders were a small class with limited political power • Transatlantic migration: brings North plenty of white laborers who work cheaply and resent slave competition

17. Why did emancipation happen more quickly in New England than in the mid-Atlantic states? • New England States • African Americans refused to remain in servitude • Most white residents agreed with them • Mid-Atlantic states • More people had a vested interest in maintaining slavery • Investment in slaves was greater

18. What were the most important features of the Northwest Ordinance? • Orderly sale of land, support for public education, territorial government, and the eventual formation of new states • Banned slavery immediately • North of Ohio River

19. What factors contributed to emphasis among antislavery activists on gradual emancipation?

20. Timeline: Abolition of Slavery in the North