African Americans
Published on Dec 08, 2015
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PRESENTATION OUTLINE
By 1850 the population of the United States had risen to 23 million people.
Photo by Eric Fischer
Most slaves worked on farms or plantations. Only about 70,000 slaves lived in towns or cities.
Photo by Kay Gaensler
There were also communities of free blacks living in the North and South.
Many of these free blacks had bought their freedom, or were the descendants of slave owners.
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Although they were free, many faced discrimination in employment and education.
After the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act they also faced the threat of being sent back to slavery.
Photo by Jim Surkamp
The Economy of Slavery
The cotton gin was invented in 1793. It was a machine that separated the seeds from the cotton fiber.
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In 1790 the South produced 3000 bales of cotton, but by 1850 it was producing 4 million.
Photo by clisenberg
This lead to an increase in demand for slave labor, which in turn led to an increase in the price of slaves.
Photo by Andrew_Writer
