After black
slaves were freed in the north, they lived a restricted life. White men had
more privileges. They also were separated from the whites. So how free were
free blacks in the north?
In
Philadelphia, African Americans were excluded from concert halls, public
transportation, schools, churches, orphanages, and other places. Not so free.
Soon after, they began to lose the right to vote. They were also required to
carry passes when traveling in some places and couldn't own property in others.
They could only use the ferry in certain conditions. They couldn't own horses
or sheep. In Boston, they were not allowed to carry a cane unless they couldn't
walk without one.
Whites
could have all these things. They took the property requirement to vote from
the whites and kept it for blacks. White men could go wherever they wanted,
walk wherever they wanted, and do whatever they wanted. They didn't need passes
like blacks. They could own firearms too. The whites had more rights than
blacks.
Blacks were
treated poorly because of their skin color. In addition to all of the
restrictions they had, the whites treated them like outcasts. Some states would
not allow free blacks to enter the state. In Illinois, if a free black entered
the state and stayed for more than 10 days, were guilty of "high
misdemeanor."
Blacks had
a lot of restrictions. White men had more privileges and rights. They were also
treated poorly because of their skin color. I don't think free blacks were
really free.
