How 'Free Blacks' contributed to the American identity, economy and politics.

1. By:
Jennifer dos Santos
&
Amy Planeta-LeClair
AFRICAN - AMERICAN
FREEMEN

2. 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)

3. 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)

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

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

6. 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)

7. 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)

8. 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)

9. The American Identity (continued)
• They developed their own African American
schools to educate their children. (Boundless)

10. 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)

11. 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)

12. 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)

13. 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)

14. 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)

15. 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)

16. 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)

17. 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)

18. 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)

19. 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)

20. 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)

21. 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)

22. 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)

23. 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)

24. 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)

25. 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)

26. 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)

27. Political Issues/ Influence
•Free blacks were
among the leaders
of the abolitionist
movement in the
North. (Boundless)

28. 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)

29. 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)

30. 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.

31. 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

32. The End