Free Blacks: How Free Were They in the North? During the 1860s, 46% of all free blacks lived in the North. Based on that, many would have reason to believe that the North would be a safe-haven for the free black population. That would be partially true because the abolition of slavery in the North provided some protection. But even though free blacks in the North had some freedoms, blacks lived a very restricted life with little suffrage, discrimination, limits on economic opportunities, and segregation. The Declaration of Independence states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Suffrage is a liberty, which is an unalienable right, yet free blacks during the 1860s were denied this right. Document A explained how free blacks in the North were either denied or restricted the right to suffrage. Eleven out of the sixteen Northern states did not provide black suffrage and jury duty (Doc A). Due to this, 93% of blacks could not vote, which led to extremely biased elections, unjust juries, and little to no …show more content…
Document B explained how an English visitor viewed the problem. “We shall not make the black man a slave; we shall not buy or sell him; but we shall not associate with him,” (Doc B). Abolishing slavery was an improvement, but not associating with the black population should have been considered unjust. For example, blacks could not share railway cars, steamboats, hotels, restaurants, schools, hospitals, prisons, or cemeteries with other races (Doc B). Furthermore, during the 1860s, everyone was judged based on their education, but blacks were judged by their history as slaves. This led to many hate crimes against the black population, little to no contact between the races, and a restricted lifestyle for