DBQ
One of the main debates during the early settlement of America was if slaves should be allowed. The states were divided by North and South. From 1775 to 1830, the expansion of slavery occurred, at the same time thousands of them were being set free. This was an effect of Christianity, Agriculture, and even African americans own heritage. Although the United States granted right to "all" Africans were not considered a part of this group rather a part of "other". Because of the changes slaves and free African Americans had different ways of confronting challenges since they were in different situations.
In Lord Dunmore's Proclamation, Virginia , 1775 it stated that if African Americans fought on the Britains side that they could gain their freedom. They said this because they were low on soldiers and they knew that they would be willing to fight, or that they would do anything in order to be free.
As many as 3,000 slaves agreed and up to 55,000 African Americans fought for the British. The free African Americans felt that they were being cheated as they too fought on the side of the colonist but they did not get anything in return as stated in Paul Cuffe's Petition, Massachusetts, 1780. They also felt that it was unfair that they go taxed, and were considered as part of taxing yet did not get a representative in government on their behalf. Because of freedom the amount of slaves decreased in the northern states. The Cotton Industry was beginning to produced an abundance of cotton faster, therefore more slaves had to imported making the southern states full of slaves.
During the 1790's there were more Negro Methodist Meetings, one captured in Philadelphia shows the gathering of african americans. This illustrates how after being free...