If blacks were free how come they can’t choose who to eat dinner with? In 1860 there were 476,000 free blacks and there were 471,000 total slaves. There should be more free blacks than slaves. Free Blacks weren’t really free. Free blacks had to eat, go to church, and work separately.
Free blacks weren’t free because they couldn’t vote. Most states did not let blacks to vote which was unfair. Over half of the states did not allow voting for blacks (Doc A chart). Some states had black voting but it was restricted. “A $250 property requirement kept most black new Yorkers from voting. For example, of 11,000 blacks in New York City in 1855, 100 could vote” (Doc A chart).
Free blacks weren’t really that