How Free Were Free African-Americans in the North?

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How Free were Free African-Americans in the North? Were African-Americans in the Northern United States really free? In the years 1800-1860 Blacks in the South thought the North was “freedom land”. But the Blacks in the North actually had many more restrictions than they did freedoms. So how free were Blacks in the North? The answer to that question is, not very. Although they did have some freedoms they still had many more restrictions. This document will show you the many more restrictions than freedoms Blacks in the North actually had. The few freedoms blacks in the North had, according to Document A, were the right to vote, but only in five states! Jury duty was restricted to Blacks in all states except for Massachusetts but that only started in 1860 according to Document A. In Document B it says Blacks had the right to “live and thrive” if they could and pay taxes. Also in Document D it says that Blacks were aloud to Go to church and write their own Newspaper. Those were the only few freedoms given to Blacks in the Northern United States. The restrictions to those freedoms might as well have banned them these rights. Jury duty was banned to Blacks except for in Massachusetts but that only started in 1860. Although they were aloud to vote that was only legal in five states. They could go to church but only to all Black churches. Also They could “live and thrive” if they could but Blacks could not “dine and drink at White’s restaurants, do jury duty, attend court sessions, represent in the legislature, attend White’s at the bed of sickness and pain, mingle with White’s in concert-rooms, lecture rooms, theatres, or at church, or to marry with whites. As you can see Blacks in the North were basically restricted from their freedoms. Blacks in the North had only one freedom, that was not restricted in many ways, than slaves, that is that they could
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