1. AFRICAN AMERICAN
FREEMEN
19th Century Contributions to the American
Identity, Economy, and Political Issues
Jason Piselli & John Deziel
Henry Ossawa Tanner
2. African American Freemen
“By the 19th century, there were flourishing families of free blacks who
had been free for generations. In the United States, some free blacks
achieved a measures of both wealth and societal participation, owning
property, paying taxes, publishing newspapers and, in some Northern
states, voting (Boundless Ch.5 Sec.8).”
3. American Identity
Following the end of the American Revolutionary
War in 1810, many slaves in the North and Upper
South were freed. Many black men fought in the
Revolutionary War, owned land, homes, and
businesses. In 1827 the first black-owned
newspaper, Freedom’s Journal, was established.
(Boundless Ch.5 Sec.8) (blackpast.org)
4. “I prefer to be true to myself, even at
the hazard of incurring the ridicule
of others, rather than to be false,
and incur my own abhorrence.”
-Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglas escaped slavery and became a leader of the abolitionist movement. He was a dazzling
orator who inspired a nation with his anti-slavery writings. Douglas believed in equal rights for all people and
once said “I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong.” (Wikipedia)
(wikimedia commons)
5. COLORED FARMERS' ALLIANCE
In the 1880s black farmers in the South faced many
economic problems. The Southern Farmers' Alliance
barred blacks from membership, so a small group of
black farmers organized the Colored Farmers'
National Alliance and Cooperative Union. The group
was formed in Houston County, Texas on December
11th 1886. Membership was strong and in 1890 the
group merged with the National Colored Alliance and
claimed to have 1.2 million members. (Holmes)
(itsoureconomy.us)
6. Harriet Tubman was an African-
American abolitionist,
humanitarian, and during the
American Civil War, a Union spy.
Tubman is probably best known for her contributions helping slaves escape to
the north on the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad was a
network of safe houses offered by anti-slavery abolitionists for the purpose of
hiding slaves as they made their way to freedom. Tubman herself was born a
slave in Madison, Maryland but later escaped. (Wikipedia)
7. “Many free African-American families in colonial
North Carolina and Virginia became landowners
and some also became slave owners. In some cases,
they purchased members of their own families to
protect them until being able to set them free. In
other cases, they participated in the full slave
economy. For example, a freedman named Cyprian
Ricard purchased an estate in Louisiana that
included 100 slaves (Boundless Ch.5 Sec.8).”
Land Owners
(Armburster)
8. “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 Ch.5 Sec.8).”
Along with his brother Charles, Langston started his life-long journey of fighting for African-
American freedom, education, and suffrage. In 1855, when John was elected to town clerk in
Ohio, he became one of the first publically elected black officials. (Wikipedia)
(Library of Congress)
9. Francis Johnson was born in the West Indies and
immigrated to Philadelphia in 1807 at the age of 17. He
played the keyed bugle and violin. Although rare at the
time for an African American, Johnson was an
accomplished composer who also directed military bands
and taught music. “Johnson successfully rivaled white
musical organizations, receiving patronage from the
public in spite of the considerable racial discrimination
of the time (Wikipedia).”
(Public domain)
10. Henry Ossawa Tanner (June 21, 1859 – May 25, 1937) was an African-
American artist. He was the first African-American painter to gain
international acclaim. After teaching himself some art, he had enrolled
as a young man in 1879 at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
in Philadelphia. He was the only black student and became a favorite of
the painter Thomas Eakins, who had recently started teaching there.
Tanner was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His father Benjamin
Tucker Tanner was a minister in the African Methodist Episcopal
Church, the first independent black denomination in the United States.
In addition, he was an editor and political activist.
(Thomas Eakins)
11. Inventor Jan Ernst Matzeliger was born in
Dutch Guyana in 1852 and immigrated to
Philadelphia at the age of 19.
Jan Ernst Matzeliger - by Unknown
Jan’s came from wealthy family and was very well educated. He spent
the first part of his life working around machinery and became
interested in inventing a shoe-lasting machine. At the time shoes could
only be made by hand and was a highly skilled labor. Over the course
of five years, working for Harney Brothers Shoe Factory, Jan invented
a machine that could produce 150 – 700 pairs of shoes per day. This
new invention cut the price of shoes in half.
12. Oliver Lewis was the first jockey
to win the Kentucky derby
(Public Domain)
“Oliver Lewis was born in 1856 in Fayette County, Kentucky. Very little is
known about Lewis's life, but according to the Black Athlete Web site he was
"A family man, a husband and father of six children." Lewis was 19 years old
in 1875 when he entered the inaugural Kentucky Derby riding Aristide, a colt
owned by H. Price McGrath and trained by Ansel Williamson, who was also
black. In fact blacks dominated racing in the late 1800s, winning 15 of the
first 28 Derbies. By the early 1900s, however, blacks had been pushed out of
the business, which had also become wealthier and less accessible to the
working classes. Black jockey James Winkfield won the Kentucky Derby in
1901 and 1902, but after 1921 there were no black riders in the race until
Marlon St. Julien in 2000 (Hotaling).”
13. Freemen and the American Economy
Prior to the Civil War, there was a very small population of African Americans.
“The percentage of free blacks soared from one percent before the Revolution
to 10 percent by 1810.” (Boundless. “Free Blacks in the South.” US History to
1877.). This group included businessmen, politicians, and slave holders. The
impact of freemen on the economy, however, would not truly be seen until
after the Civil War and the abolition of all slavery.
14. The Abolition of Slavery
The abolition of slavery led to two economic dilemmas in
America:
1. Plantation owners were left with no one to work their
land. Slave labor had been the backbone of their
economic survival. The Southern economy suffered
greatly.
2. Former slaves were left with no means of survival.
Although they never received monetary compensation
for their work; they did receive food, shelter, and
medicine from their owners.
15. Newly Found Freedom
Despite their oppression and mistreatment, former slaves were eager to work in
America as free men and women. While some freedmen went North or West
to find opportunity, others were forced to remain in the regions where they
were held as slaves
Most freedmen had little to no education and very few marketable skills so
finding gainful employment was very challenging.
16. Alternatives to Slave Labor
• Sharecropping: The act of being a tenant
farmer, especially in the southern United
States, who farms the land in exchange for a
portion of the crops Source: Boundless. “Economic
Growth.” Boundless U.S. History.
• Tenant Farming: An agricultural production
system in which landowners contribute their
land and often a measure of operating capital
and management; while tenant farmers
contribute their labor along with at times
varying amounts of capital and management.
Source: Boundless. “Economic Growth.” Boundless U.S. History.
17. Sharecropping vs. Tenant Farming
Tenant Farming
• Farmer rented land and a house from
the landowner
• Farmer had control over the crops that
were yielded from their land and could
sell them at will and keep the profits
• Farmer’s responsibility to pay their rent
to the landowner
Sharecropping
• Had no ownership of land, house or
equipment. These were all borrowed from
the landowner
• Farmer had no control of what they
planted or how they were sold
• Landowner would hold all profits and after
paying any outstanding debts the farmer
had, would give the farmer their share.
18. Problem with Sharecropping
It was very difficult for sharecroppers
to get ahead. Inflation, poor growing
seasons and dishonest employers
contributed to a never ending cycle of
poverty
19. The Freedmen’s Bureau
The Freedman’s Bureau was a government agency set up by Lincoln in
1865. The Bureau was created to help freed slaves learn useful skills and
find gainful employment. They also negotiated contracts between
employers and workers. The Bureau made enormous contributions to
the education of freed slaves. In fact, “By the end of 1865, more than
90,000 former slaves were enrolled as students in public schools.”
Source: Boundless. “The Freedmen's Bureau.” Boundless U.S. History. Boundless, 14 Nov. 2014.
20. Labor Contracts
With the help of the Freedman's
Bureau, contracts would be drafted
between freedmen and landowners.
These contracts stated the
expectations of both parties and what
shares the farmer would receive. The
contracts were legally binding and
filed with the State.
21. The Southern Economy
The South’s agricultural economy was devastated as a result of the Civil War
and the abolition of slavery. Even after Emancipation, Southern plantation
owners tried to continue to control labor by keeping their farmers in debt
through sharecropping. Former slave women began spending less time in the
fields and more time with their children. Freedmen were now allowed to come
and go as they pleased. All of these factors led to decreased productivity and
less revenue. The South’s troubled economy and limited job opportunities also
made it less attractive to immigrants and as a result, missed out on many of
scientific and technological advances seen in the Northern states.
22. Slavery and the Economy
Whether it be from slave labor or trade, it is undeniable that slavery made a
significant contributed to the early American economy, especially in the rich
agricultural landscape of the south. It can also be argued that the institution of
slavery actually acted as an obstacle of economic growth in America. It created
a culture of wealth based on the hard work of others to the extent that,
especially in the deep south, being a hard working white American was actually
looked down upon. This was a sharp contradiction to the rugged individualism
that appealed to early Americans Slave states often lacked the creative thinking
and innovative spirit that thrived in free state and led to many new inventions.
23. Politics
Many blacks who were elected as either state or
local officials during the Reconstruction era
(1865-1877) in the South had been free in the
South prior to the Civil War. Additionally, many
educated blacks whose families had long been
free in the North moved South to work and help
their fellow freedmen. (Boundless Ch.5 Sec.8)
First Capitol of Washington (William Russell Birch)
24. Reconstruction and Politics
Although short-lived, the Reconstruction Era birthed
many African American politicians – all Republican.
It has been noted that there were “more than 1,500
African American officeholders during the
Reconstruction period (1865–1876)” (Wikipedia)
25. Important Amendments during Reconstruction
The Thirteenth Amendment – 1868 - guaranteeing United States citizenship
to all persons born or naturalized in the United States and granting them
federal civil rights.
The Fifteenth Amendment – 1870 - decreed that the right to vote could not
be denied because of "race, color, or previous condition of servitude. "
Source: Boundless. “Reconstruction in the South.” Boundless U.S. History.
26. John Sweat Rock was the first African American
to serve on the Supreme Court Bar
(Matthew Brady)
John Stewart Rock (October 13, 1825 – December 3, 1866)
was an American teacher, doctor, dentist, lawyer and
abolitionist, Rock was one of the first African-American
men to earn a medical degree. In addition, he was the first
black person to be admitted to the bar of the Supreme
Court of the United States (Wikipedia)
27. Hiram Rhodes Revels was a minister in the
African Methodist Episcopal Church,
Republican politician, and college administrator.
(Matthew Brady)
“Born free in North Carolina, he later lived and worked in
Ohio, where he voted before the Civil War. He was elected
as the first African American to serve in the United States
Senate, and was the first African American to serve in the
U.S. Congress. He represented Mississippi in the Senate in
1870 and 1871 during the Reconstruction era (Wikipedia).”
28. Joseph Hayne Rainey was the first African American to
serve in the United States House of Representatives
(Matthew Brady)
Rainey was “the second black person to serve in the
United States Congress (U.S. Senator Hiram Revels
was the first), and the first black presiding officer of
the House of Representatives. Born into slavery in
South Carolina, he was freed in the 1840s by his
father purchasing the freedom of his entire family
and himself. Revels and Rainey were both members
of the Republican Party (Wikipedia).”
29. Blanche Kelso Bruce was a U.S. politician who
represented Mississippi as a Republican in the U.S. Senate
(Matthew Brady)
“From 1875 – 1881 Bruce was the first African American to
serve a full term in the U.S. Senate. Hiram R. Revels, also of
Mississippi, was the first African American to serve in the U.S.
Senate, but did not serve a full term. During Reconstruction,
Bruce moved to Mississippi, where he became a wealthy
landowner in the Mississippi Delta. He was appointed to the
positions of Tallahatchie County registrar of voters and tax
assessor before winning an election for sheriff in Bolivar
County. On February 14, 1879, Bruce presided over the U.S.
Senate, becoming the first African American (and the only
former slave) to do so (Wikipedia).”
30. Suffrage for Black Voters in Washington D.C. 1867
Jan. 8, 1867 Congress overrode a veto by President
Andrew Johnson to give the right to vote to all men in
the District of Columbia. It marked the first time in
U.S. history where a law was passed that granted voting
rights to African Americans. (Glass)
Andrew Johnson (Brady)
31. After the Reconstruction Era
In 1877, as the Reconstruction Era came to an end, the Democrats regained
control of the governments in the South. Soon after, they began pushing
legislation through to counteract the changes made during reconstruction.
These laws made positions in politics much harder for freemen to obtain.
“Democrats were passing laws to make voter registration and electoral rules
more restrictive.”
Source: Boundless. “The Freed Slaves.” Boundless U.S. History. Boundless, 14
Nov. 2014.
32. Political Struggles for Freemen
The following requirements were put in place by Southern Democrats to deter
freemen from voting and running for office:
• Poll Taxes
• Literacy and Comprehension tests
• Residency and record-keeping requirements
• Jim Crow Laws
All of these actions contributed to a shard decline in voter participation in the post
Reconstruction era
33. Conclusion
Freemen in America made many valuable contributions to the economy,
politics, and our American identity. They were just as much a part of
shaping our nation as any group.
34. Works Cited
Americas Reconstruction People and Politics of the Civil War (2003); retrieved from
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/exhibits/reconstruction/section3/section3_wfarmer.html
Boundless (2015). History to 1877. Exploration and Settlements of the Americas. Retrieved from
https://www.boundless.com/learning/books/
Gale Encyclopedia of US Economic History (1999) retrieved from
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3406400169.html
Glass, Andrew (2015). Congress expands suffrage in D.C. on Jan. 8, 1867. Retrieved from
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0108/7771.html
Holmes, William F (2015). "COLORED FARMERS' ALLIANCE," Handbook of Texas Online,
accessed April 02, 2015. Uploaded on June 12, 2010. Modified on September 4, 2013.
Published by the Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved from
http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/aac01
Hotaling, Edward (1999). The Great Black Jockeys: The Lives and Times of the Men Who
Dominated America’s First National Sport (California: Three Rivers Press, 1999)
Retrieved from http://biography.jrank.org/pages/2969/Lewis-Oliver.html
Wikipedia (2015). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org
