With the continuous growth of the national and international cotton market, the numbers of black people in the Old South started increasing dramatically. As such, while the United States accounted for 700,000 African American slaves in 1790 by 1860, this number increased almost six times, reaching 4 million (Shi, 2016). However, as time passed, there started appearing a new class of black and people of color – free individuals – were already not slaves but still not equal to whites.
Free people of color consisted of African Americans and mulattoes or those who had both white and black parents. Some of them could buy their freedom; others, on the other hand, were released by their masters. Unlike enslaved people, freed individuals possessed certain civil rights, such as the right to own property, marry, and start contractual relations (Shi, 2016). Yet, in most states, they still could not vote, testify in court, or carry a weapon. Moreover, most free people were very poor and were often subjects of racial injustice and prejudice. Still, there is evidence that some of the free people of color could achieve great financial success. In this regard, it is interesting to note that some of the ex-slaves eventually became slave owners themselves and made fortunes by selling cotton.
Additionally, the enslaved black community was not uniform as people engaged in different labor and were kept for different purposes. For instance, young African American women were highly treasured by their masters as they could give birth to the next generation of slaves, especially after the slave trade with Africa was forbidden. Another group of slaves was working in the fields, growing cotton, rice, tobacco, or sugar cane. Notably, sometimes, the work supervisors would be appointed by the black people to control the process of work. The third group included the urban slaves who resided in such cities as Richmond, Memphis, Atlanta, New Orleans, and Charleston, to name a few (Shi, 2016).
It is stated that they generally had better lives than slaves on farms and were better fed and dressed, and had more privileges. Although all the above-mentioned groups distinguished themselves from one another as they were treated differently, were involved in different labor, and resided in various places, there was one thing that they had in common. All the members of the black community wished for freedom from oppression and equal rights with white people.
Reference
Shi, D. E. (2016). America: A narrative history (11th ed.). WW Norton & Company.