How free were free blacks in the North?

            In 1863, Abraham Lincoln supported the idea to abolish slavery in the Confederate United States during the Civil War. As the war went on more and more slaves were released, but what no one realized was how many people in the north treated blacks the same as they were in the south: animals trying to live. Political, economic, and social freedoms were greatly limited to the blacks of the United States, leaving the blacks with no white person’s freedom as Abraham Lincoln would have wanted. So, how free were free blacks in the north?

            The first state to abolish slavery was in Vermont in 1777 and the last was in 7 states on the southern side in 1865. It took almost a century to realize that letting the slaves go was a priority. One freedom that was limited to the freed black slaves in the north was the many political freedoms. They paid taxes and could vote but did not have the right to be a part of the government, except for any women in the U.S. Which meant no black could run for President or be in the Supreme Court, which every white person could do. It wasn’t fair that they could pay the government taxes and vote for a white person but couldn’t be in the government.

            Though the political freedoms were limited, so were the economic freedoms for the blacks. Is living in your own house called freedom? I wouldn’t think so, but back in the 1800’s, after slavery was abolished, many blacks were isolated to their race. Jobs were limited because the whites did not want to associate with the blacks. Everything was separated, even bathrooms. This meant that owning their own property was limited; it was part of their rights, but blacks still couldn’t be within 100 feet of a white person without being shunned upon. Which means that blacks couldn’t have any sort of a job at hospitals; they couldn’t tend to the white people at the hospital because of their skin color.     

            Supposing that the races were separate most of the time, what happened when love got in the way? “How Free were the Free Blacks in the North” it says that the blacks could not marry the white peoples’ daughters or attend the same church as them. The black churches was where they could not be judged, but listened to. Forming their own band of togetherness was the only way they could get through the day feeling like themselves, though treated like trash. The church was a safe haven for fugitive slaves and many others, where they could marry and be of their faith without being put down by others.

            Abraham Lincoln stood in his place to make sure every person in the U.S. was treated evenly and honorably. Many people denied the fact that we’re all humans and none of us are slaves no matter what the race. Though Lincoln could not carry out his word, many brave African Americans stood for what they believed in and would fight no matter what it would take. African Americans were treated unfairly though they were free to vote or own land. No blacks were free in North or the South just because of their skin color. This saying by Martin Luther King expresses how much he would do to be free and have others be free in every way possible, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.”