8.6.4

Study the lives of black Americans who gained freedom in the North and founded schools and churches to advance their rights and communities.
             Achieving freedom, the possession of civil rights, has been a lengthy and laborious task for African Americans as they still faced discrimination after slavery. Africans have been used as slaves for centuries and in America, it was not different. However, during the Revolution, certain colonists began to object to slavery because the nation was supposed to be found on the belief that all humans have natural rights to be protected. Northerners were against slavery more than the South because slavery was not their main source of production while the south needed slaves for their plantations. With the exception of South Carolina and Georgia, most states were against slavery, as they had outlawed or heavily taxed it during the Revolutionary Era (African Americans fought for Americans in the war). After the war, more Northern states began abolishing slavery and Virginia allowed the freeing of slaves.
             Free African Americans were becoming more and more common and African Americans formed organizations to help other blacks like the Free African Society founded by Absalom Jones and Richard Allen in 1787; the Black Church even was formed by the Free African Society. Richard Allen, once he had gained his freedom had preached in several states and formed a church with funding from people like Benjamin Rush (it was a Methodist Church). The Black Church also helped the forwarding of Black communities. However, even when slavery was abolished in the North before the Civil War, discrimination remained. Blacks were denied suffrage, access to public facilities including schools, forced to make separate schools, hospitals, parks etc. and normally had to take extremely low-paying vocations. Some Africans like Samuel Cornish succeeded (published the first African American newspaper) while most were extremely poor.
             Tens of thousands of free African Americans were living the United States by 1790; as time progressed African Americans worked their way up on the social ladder to the middle class, especially in the North. Black communities with institutions like churches were founded in hopes that they would achieve full participation in the white-dominated American society. The Underground Railroad also helped African Americans; it was escape routes out of the south to places in the North or places like Philadelphia. Philadelphia was especially favorable to blacks because it was a large and important city in colonial America and it was slowly abolishing slavery and offered occupations to African Americans. By 1799, blacks had jobs like doctors, teachers and carpenters to name a few; a few dozen blacks also owned their own businesses. These, however, were the fortunate blacks that made up the middle class while the majority of blacks still lived in poverty.
             African Americans constantly tried to further their communities; over one hundred societies were formed to assist the African Americans who lived in poverty. The first public black schools were also formed in Philadelphia in 1829. African American women also work as teachers and an exclusive few managed their own businesses; this was possible because the women were generally well educated. Women also founded anti-slavery groups for themselves.
             African Americans have a long history in America. Most of their history is being discriminated, enslaved and mistreated. The African Americans managed to get freedom and established their own institutions, and organizations. The African Americans have labored hard in the United States and they have finally succeeded in winning their civil rights and have nearly destroyed discrimination.


Historical Documents:

   1.    Peter Fontaine, “Defense of Slavery in Virginia” (1757)
          Represented the South’s views on slavery.

   2.    Richard Allen and Absalom Jones, Preamble of the Free African Society (1787)
          Explains the purpose of the Free African Society.


More Information:

   1.    http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part1/title.html
          Africans in America - describes history of African Americans up to the Civil War; contains list of resources including historical documents, portraits, diaries etc.

   2.    http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/blackhis/
          Gateway to African American History - documents, articles, and links honoring and acknowledging the accomplishments of African Americans.

   3.    http://afroamhistory.about.com/
          African-American History - lots of information divided by topics; includes resources.


Recommended Books:

   1.    North of Slavery: The Negro in the Free States 1790-1860
          by L.F Litwack

   2.    Pillars of the republic: Common school and American Society, 1780-1860
          by Carl F. Kaestle

   3.    Poverty and Progress: Social Mobility in Nineteenth Century City
          by S. Thernstrom

   4.    Sumter: The First Day of the Civil War
          by S. Hendrickson