Slavery No Freedom, No Rights

Name __________________________ Slavery: No Freedom, No Rights No Freedom, No Rights From the earliest days of the British American colonies through the mid-1860s—nearly 250 years—many American families enslaved people. Enslaved people in the British American colonies were human beings taken from Africa who were held as the property of another person. They were bought and sold the same way horses and wagons were bought and sold. They were given no legal rights. They had to do whatever their enslavers told them to do, and many suffered extreme brutality. All enslaved people, no matter how they were treated by their enslavers, suffered because they had no freedom. Some states chose to ban slavery, but it wasn’t until 1808 that Congress made it illegal to kidnap and traffic more people from Africa to be enslaved. But that ban didn’t end slavery in the United States. For those already here and their children, slavery continued in many states, especially in the South. The first captured Africans sold in British North America arrived in 1619 on the White Lion. Although the slave trade was banned in 1808, the illegal trade continued into the 1860s. Why Would Anyone Own Someone Else? There was hard work to be done, and lots of it. Slavery grew quickly in the southern colonies (and later, states) due to the labor needed on large tobacco, rice, and cotton plantations. Enslaved people were also forced to work in homes to cook, clean, and raise children. Being forced to work without wages meant increased profits for their enslavers. Even people not directly engaged in the slave trade benefitted from the system. For example, slavery was not as widespread in the northern colonies, but if you bought anything made from sugar, wore clothes made of cotton, or traveled in a port city anywhere, you were part of the system of slavery. Slavery became the foundation of the national economy from colonial times through the establishment of the United States and well into the 1800s. Freedom and Equality (But Not for All) • Congress had to wait until 1808 (20 years) before passing a law to make it illegal to import enslaved Africans into the United States. • Enslaved people who escaped to a state where slavery was illegal did not become free. If their enslavers claimed them, they had to be returned. • To calculate a state’s population, enslaved people counted as 3/5 of a person. This gave Southern states more power in Congress but did not give the enslaved people any rights. The U.S. was founded on liberty and equality. But when it was time to write the Constitution, the Framers chose to let slavery continue. Why? Benefitting from years of legal slavery had poisoned people’s beliefs. Over time, many White people developed the belief that Black people were not equal. And along with those beliefs, they reinforced racial inequality with laws that stripped Black people of human rights. They also defended slavery as a system. Some people said it was a good thing that helped everyone involved. Others may not have approved of slavery but argued it was still a necessary evil—something we needed even though we didn’t like it. And that history directly impacted the writing of the Constitution. Even though many early Americans knew slavery was wrong, representatives from the South demanded to protect their profits. They would never have voted to approve the Constitution if slavery was outlawed. The men writing it decided to compromise. Freedom and equality for all would have to wait. Constitutional Compromises • When the Constitution was adopted, it said this: 1 Name __________________________ Slavery: No Freedom, No Rights Friends of Freedom Many people in the United States opposed slavery. Abolitionists were people who wanted slavery abolished or ended permanently. Abolitionists were Black, White, and Native American men and women. And they were found in both the North and the South. People like Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, and Sojourner Truth put pressure on politicians to end slavery, and they worked to convince society that slavery was morally wrong. They did this by forming groups, holding conventions, giving speeches and sermons, handing out pamphlets, and even publishing newspapers and songs. And they had some success. Even though slavery remained legal nationally, it was outlawed in some states. Resisting Slavery While some people worked on making changes in the law and in public opinion, others were working for immediate freedom. Sojourner Truth (1797-1883) was an There were acts of everyday resistance like working slower or abolitionist and women’s rights activist. maintaining culture. But others tried running away. Running away was dangerous. Freedom seekers often left at night and risked punishment and even death. Leaders like Harriet Tubman and William Still worked to help enslaved people gain freedom. They worked on a secret network that was known as the Underground Railroad. In a 10-year span, Harriet Tubman made 19 trips into the South and helped over 300 people escape to freedom. A Deadly Revolt Some enslaved people turned to violence to overthrow the system of slavery. Nat Turner was an enslaved man and preacher who wanted to abolish slavery. He read the Bible often and was very influential among other enslaved people in his community. One Virginia night in 1831, Nat Turner and several other enslaved people crept into the house where their enslavers slept and murdered the entire family. Then, they marched through Virginia and encouraged other enslaved people to join them. Over three days, they killed at least 55 people before they were stopped. Turner and many others were executed for these murders, and angry White mobs murdered nearly 200 Black people in return. But death was not the only consequence. Rebellions like Turner’s motivated people in power to pass even stricter laws. Blaming Turner’s rebellion partly on his ability to read and write, Virginia responded by passing a law making it illegal to teach Black people literacy skills. In the Courts Another enslaved man, Dred Scott, took a different approach. Scott’s enslaver moved often and took Scott to each new residence. Because of that, Scott had lived in both free and slave states. In 1846, he sued for his freedom. He argued that because his enslaver had taken him to live where slavery was illegal, he should be free. Scott’s case went all the way to the United States Supreme Court—but he didn’t win. In the Dred Scott decision, the Supreme Court ruled Black people were not citizens and had no right to sue in the first place. They also said that slavery must be legal everywhere. It would take a war to end slavery in the U.S. Dred Scott Name __________________________ Slavery: No Freedom, No Rights A. Choose the Right Word. Check the words that correctly complete each sentence. 1. An ( enslaved person of another person. abolitionist) is a person who is held as the property 2. People who were not directly involved in slavery ( did 3. Slavery was not as widespread in the ( northern did not) benefit from the system. southern) colonies. 4. The Constitution required 20 years before a law could ( ban allow) the slave trade. 5. The ( Underground Railroad Supreme Court) was a secret network that helped enslaved people gain freedom. 6. An enslaved person who escaped to a free state ( became free forever did not become free). 7. A “necessary evil” is something people ( like they think they ( need want). don’t like) but 8. In the Dred Scott decision, the Supreme Court said Black people were not ( enslaved citizens). 9. Abolitionists tried to keep slavery from ( spreading ending). 10. Under the Constitution, an enslaved person was counted as ( a whole person three-fifths of a person). WIlliam Lloyd Garrison B. What Did It Mean to Have No Rights? Match each cause with an effect to learn about how laws impacted enslaved people. Effects Causes _____ 1. Enslaved people did not have the right to a fair trial. A. Some states passed laws that made it illegal to educate enslaved people. _____ 2. Enslaved people were not protected by the laws that protected citizens. B. Husbands, wives, and families could be broken up and sold to different enslavers. _____ 3. Enslaved people could not vote. C. Enslaved people accused of a crime could be sentenced with little or no evidence. _____ 4. People were afraid that enslaved people who could read and write might convince others to rebel. D. The enslaved population could not elect government leaders who would end slavery. E. Enslavers could treat enslaved people very badly and not get punished. _____ 5. Enslaved people could “marry,” but their marriages were not legal. Name __________________________ Slavery: No Freedom, No Rights C. Compare. What did Nat Turner and Dred Scott have in common? Decide whether each statement describes Turner, Scott, or both. Write the letter of each description in the correct part of the diagram. A. He was enslaved. Nat Turner Dred Scott B. He always lived in a slave state. C. He lived in both free and slave states. Both D. He tried to gain his freedom. E. He used violence. F. He used the court system. G. His plan to achieve freedom failed. H. His challenge to slavery resulted in less freedom for enslaved people. D. Mark It Up. Look at this timeline of anti-slavery laws. Circle actions that happened at the state level to end slavery. Box actions that the federal government took to end slavery. 1777 Vermont is the first to abolish slavery 1799 New York passes a bill that will end slavery gradually 1787 Congress passes the Northwest Ordinance, banning slavery north and west of the Ohio River 1619 Enslaved Africans brought to British colonies 1783 Massachusetts Supreme Court declares slavery unconstitutional 1863 President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation frees enslaved people in Confederate states 1808 Congress makes it illegal to import enslaved Africans into the United States 1865 The 13th Amendment abolishes slavery in the United States 4