What war ended the antebellum period?
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Free blacks in the antebellum period—those years from the formation of the Union until the Civil War—were quite outspoken about the injustice of slavery. Their ability to express themselves, however, was determined by whether they lived in the North or the South. Free Southern blacks continued to live under the shadow of slavery, unable to travel or assemble as freely as those in the North. It was also more difficult for them to organize and sustain churches, schools, or fraternal orders such as the Masons. Show
Although their lives were circumscribed by numerous discriminatory laws even in the colonial period, freed African Americans, especially in the North, were active participants in American society. Black men enlisted as soldiers and fought in the American Revolution and the War of 1812. Some owned land, homes, businesses, and paid taxes. In some Northern cities, for brief periods of time, black property owners voted. A very small number of free blacks owned slaves. The slaves that most free blacks purchased were relatives whom they later manumitted. A few free blacks also owned slave holding plantations in Louisiana, Virginia, and South Carolina. Free African American Christians founded their own churches which became the hub of the economic, social, and intellectual lives of blacks in many areas of the fledgling nation. Blacks were also outspoken in print. Freedom's Journal, the first black-owned newspaper, appeared in 1827. This paper and other early writings by blacks fueled the attack against slavery and racist conceptions about the intellectual inferiority of African Americans. African Americans also engaged in achieving freedom for others, which was a complex and dangerous undertaking. Enslaved blacks and their white sympathizers planned secret flight strategies and escape routes for runaways to make their way to freedom. Although it was neither subterranean nor a mechanized means of travel, this network of routes and hiding places was known as the “underground railroad.” Some free blacks were active “conductors” on the underground railroad while others simply harbored runaways in their homes. Free people of color like Richard Allen, Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, David Walker, and Prince Hall earned national reputations for themselves by writing, speaking, organizing, and agitating on behalf of their enslaved compatriots. Thousands of freed blacks, with the aid of interested whites, returned to Africa with the aid of the American Colonization Society and colonized what eventually became Liberia. While some African Americans chose this option, the vast majority felt themselves to be Americans and focused their efforts on achieving equality within the United States. Individual AccomplishmentsPhillis Wheatley’s Love of FreedomPrince Hall, Founder of the African American Masonic OrderPrince Hall. A Charge Delivered to the African Lodge, June 24, 1797, at Menotomy. Boston: Member of the Said Lodge, 1797. Hazard Pamphlet Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (2–19) An African Captive Tells His Own StoryOlaudah Equiano. The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African. Norwich: The Author, 1794. Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress. Reproduction Number: LC-USZ62-54026 (2–1) Benjamin Banneker, MathematicianBenjamin Banneker's Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia Almanack and Ephemeris, for the Year of Our Lord 1792. Baltimore: William Goddard and James Angell, 1791. Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (2–14) Back to top Emergence of the Black ChurchAfrican American Women PreachersBack to top Documenting FreedomFreedom DocumentCertificate of Freedom of Harriet Bolling, Petersburg, Virginia, 1851. Carter G. Woodson Collection, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress (2-2) An African American SeamanSeaman's Protection Certificate for Samuel Fox, August 12, 1854. Black History Collection, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress (2-6) The Underground RailroadWilliam Still. The Underground Railroad: A Record of Facts, Authentic Narratives, Letters . . . . Philadelphia: People's Publishing Co., 1879. Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (2–11) From Fugitive To MinisterAnother Fugitive's AccountBack to top The Revolutionary EraAfrican American Soldiers in the American RevolutionAn African American Revolutionary War SoldierRevolutionary War documents for Juba Freeman. State of Connecticut, June 1, 1780. Gladstone Collection, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress (2-5) Free Blacks and Haitian IndependenceFrancis Johnson. Recognition March of the Independence of Hayti. . . . Philadelphia: F. Willig, [1825]. Sheet music. Music Division, Library of Congress (2-23) Free People of Color as Professional Musicians: Francis JohnsonFrancis Johnson. Boone Infantry Brass Band Quick Step. Philadelphia: Osbourn's Music Saloon, 1844. Sheet music. Music Division, Library of Congress (2-22) Back to top Africa or AmericaIs African Colonization The Answer?American Colonization Society Settlements in LiberiaAfrican American Convention MovementProceedings of the Colored National Convention Held in Rochester July 6th, 7th, and 8th, 1853. Rochester: Frederick Douglass, 1853. Susan B. Anthony Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (2–17) David Ruggles, Outspoken Advocate for FreedomBack to top The Free African American PressFreedom's Journal, 1827Freedom's Journal, March 16, 1827. John B. Russwurm and Samuel Cornish, founders. Copyprint from microfilm. Microform Reading Room, General Collections, Library of Congress (2–9) When did the antebellum period start and end?Antebellum Period (1815-1861)
What was Antebellum war?In the history of the Southern United States, the Antebellum Period (from Latin: ante bellum, lit. 'before the war') spanned the end of the War of 1812 to the start of the American Civil War in 1861. The Antebellum South was characterized by the use of slavery and the culture it fostered.
What was the main conflict over slavery in the antebellum period?The Dred Scott Case Summary
Among the decade's most controversial and divisive events was the notorious Dred Scott decision of 1857. That case involved a Missouri slave, Dred Scott, who had been taken by his master, an army surgeon, to both the free state of Illinois and the free territory of Wisconsin.
What events happened during the antebellum period?Main Events Between 1820-1850. |
