Question

From 1775 to 1830, many African Americans gained freedom from slavery, yet during the same period the institution of slavery expanded. Explain why BOTH of those changes took place. Analyze the ways that BOTH free African Americans and enslaved African Americans responded to the challenges confronting them.

Answer 1

Between 1775 and 1830, African Americans achieved freedom due to emancipation movements, especially in Northern states, influenced by Revolutionary ideals. Conversely, the invention of the cotton gin caused the Southern states to expand and entrench slavery. Both free and enslaved African Americans faced challenges, with the former experiencing discrimination and the latter seeking liberation through various methods, including legal petitions.

Step-by-step explanation:

African Americans Gaining Freedom and Expansion of Slavery

From 1775 to 1830, a significant number of African Americans gained freedom from slavery, largely due to the ideals of liberty and emancipation that took hold, particularly in Northern states following the American Revolution. States like Pennsylvania and Vermont integrated bans on slavery into their state constitutions in the 1770s, while others, including Connecticut and Rhode Island, enacted laws for gradual emancipation. The changing sentiment was influenced by the Revolutionary ideals that seemingly contradicted the existence of slavery.

Despite this, the institution of slavery expanded notably in the Southern states. The invention of the cotton gin in the 1790s revolutionized the cotton industry, greatly increasing the demand for slave labor. As a result, slavery became more entrenched in the Southern economy and society, even as emancipation efforts gained traction in the North. This dichotomy resulted in an increase in the number of slaves in the South, even as the free black population grew in the North.

Free African Americans faced persistent prejudice and discrimination, while enslaved African Americans sought freedom through various means, including self-liberation, legal petitions, and participation in abolitionist movements. In the spirit of the revolutionary rhetoric, many slaves employed the language of natural rights to argue for freedom and equality, with some individuals such as Felix in Boston directly petitioning for redress.

Answer 2

During the period between 1775 and 180, many African Americans gained freedom from slavery, yet during the same period, the institution of slavery expanded. The changes took place in different locations in the United States of America. The Northern states opposed slavery while the Southern states still enforced slavery. Many African American slaves managed to escape from the South to the North where they were freed from slavery. The freed African-American slaves spent their time working towards helping the slaves in the Southern states escape towards the North. The slaves in the South were forced to work on the tobacco and cotton plantations. They bided their time  until they were able to escape.