7.3 Post-Revolutionary Changes in Slavery and Freedom

The Revolutionary Era brought significant changes to slavery and freedom in America. Northern states began passing gradual abolition laws, while manumission offered a path to freedom for some enslaved individuals. However, these efforts faced limitations and resistance, especially in the South.

Free Black communities emerged in urban areas, establishing their own institutions despite discrimination. The Constitution made compromises on slavery, including the Three-Fifths Compromise and Fugitive Slave Clause, which would have long-lasting impacts on American politics and society.

Abolition and Emancipation

Manumission and Legal Efforts

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• Manumission involved slave owners voluntarily freeing their enslaved individuals
• Process often required legal documentation and sometimes payment of fees
• Gradual abolition laws enacted by several Northern states after the Revolution
• Laws typically freed children born to enslaved mothers after a certain date
• Pennsylvania passed the first gradual abolition law in 1780
• Vermont's constitution of 1777 prohibited slavery outright
• Became the first state to abolish slavery for adult males

Challenges and Limitations

• Manumission rates varied significantly by region and individual circumstances
• Some states imposed restrictions on manumission to control the free Black population
• Gradual abolition laws often included lengthy periods of indentured servitude
• Children born to enslaved mothers in gradual abolition states remained in bondage until adulthood
• Vermont's constitutional ban on slavery had limited practical effect due to small enslaved population
• Abolition efforts faced significant resistance in Southern states

Free Black Communities

Development of Free Black Settlements

• Free Black communities emerged in both Northern and Southern states
• Concentrated in urban areas like Philadelphia, New York, and Charleston
• Established churches, schools, and mutual aid societies
• Faced discrimination and limited economic opportunities despite free status
• Book of Negroes documented Black Loyalists who evacuated with British forces
• Recorded names, ages, and physical descriptions of over 3,000 individuals
• Served as a crucial record for resettlement and compensation claims

Sierra Leone Colony

• Founded in 1787 as a settlement for freed slaves and poor Blacks from London
• Received significant influx of Black Loyalists from Nova Scotia in 1792
• Established as a British colony in 1808
• Served as a base for British anti-slavery operations along the West African coast
• Faced challenges including disease, conflict with indigenous peoples, and economic struggles
• Became a symbol of African liberation and self-governance

Slavery and the Constitution

Compromises and Concessions

• Northwest Ordinance of 1787 prohibited slavery in the Northwest Territory
• Established precedent for restricting slavery's expansion into new territories
• Three-Fifths Compromise counted enslaved individuals as three-fifths of a person for representation
• Increased Southern states' political power in the House of Representatives and Electoral College
• Fugitive Slave Clause required the return of escaped enslaved individuals to their owners
• Nullified laws in free states that protected runaway slaves

Long-term Impacts

• Northwest Ordinance shaped the geography of slavery in the United States
• Led to the creation of five free states (Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin)
• Three-Fifths Compromise contributed to Southern dominance in federal politics for decades
• Impacted presidential elections and legislative decisions on slavery-related issues
• Fugitive Slave Clause became increasingly contentious as sectional tensions grew
• Led to the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, further intensifying North-South conflict