Final answer:
While slavery expanded in colonial America, freedom also had simultaneous expansion. Examples of freedom's expansion include the fight for emancipation by free Blacks, the founding of abolitionist societies, and gradual emancipation in northern states. Slavery's expansion occurred mainly in the southern colonies, reinforcing racial hierarchy and the association of freedom with whiteness.
Step-by-step explanation:
The expansion of freedom and slavery in colonial America occurred simultaneously, but with different outcomes. On one hand, the concept of freedom expanded for some individuals, particularly free Blacks in the North, who fought for their rights and called for emancipation through petitions. Benjamin Franklin founded the Society for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage, which spread abolitionist ideas to other states. Many northern states embraced gradual emancipation during and after the Revolutionary War.
On the other hand, slavery expanded in the southern states like Virginia, Maryland, South Carolina, and Georgia. The economy of these colonies depended heavily on slave labor, and white plantation owners built their wealth and political power on the institution of slavery. The continuation of race-based slavery in the South reinforced the concept of race and racial hierarchy, where whites enjoyed freedom and Blacks were subjected to bondage and racial inferiority.
The concept of race became increasingly important in the expansion of slavery. The establishment of a system of racial slavery contributed to the creation of a racial identity for white colonists, who associated their freedom and liberty with being white and superior to enslaved Black people. The presence of slavery created a stark contrast between the noble aims of the American Revolution, such as liberty and equality, and the reality of racial slavery.