How free were blacks in the north Essay

Blacks weren’t as free as people made them out to be, they still had restrictions. I am writing this to make it clear that blacks weren’t absolutely free in the north; they still had rules and weren’t treated equally. If you look at the years between 1800 and 1860 you will see how free they were freer when they were slaves. In this essay I will be addressing the different kind of rights, such as social freedom, the black church, Political and Judicial rights, and education and jobs. Blacks in the North had freedoms and restrictions some of the restrictions and freedoms in social freedom are discussed below. Charles Mackay stated in his travels, â€Å"We shall not buy nor sell him†. Now this may sound like a good thing, and maybe it is but right after that he stated, â€Å"We shall not associate with him†. The white northerners didn’t want to have anything to do with the black society. He said for the white society to let the black man know his place and keep it. Even though they weren’t being sold and bought they still had rules to follow. They were free enough to not be bought and sold like cattle, but was not free enough to dwell with white northerners and this is why I think it is the most important issue at hand. In this paragraph I chose to address Document D; Black Church. In this document it’s a photograph that shows black people congregating and worshiping at a black church. The church was more than just a place to worship, they ran a literary club, Sunday school, published a newspaper, hosted abolitionist meetings, and provided a refuge for fugitive slaves. The church was like an escape for black people. Although they didn’t have much to work with they made it work. In my opinion that’s what made them free to me. According to the document note, the three services provided by the black church before the civil, to fight for social causes such as voting rights, temperance and abolition. Even if the church was just a barn or shack they made it possible to worship and be religiously free in their own way. I go further into the DBQ packet to address political and judicial rights.