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In addition to the legal status of slavery in America, free Blacks faced another set of difficulties. Many southern states restricted the ability of free Blacks to remain within their borders, whether born free or manumitted by their owners. Mississippi, for example, required a free Black person to be sponsored in court by a White man—often his former owner—if he wished to remain in the state. The 1857 Dred Scott Supreme Court decision also solidified the legal status of Black Americans by confirming the belief that Blacks could not sue for their own freedom because they were not citizens of the United States. The ruling added fuel to the fire of division between N orth and South. Black Americans faced discrimination in the North, as well. Irish immigrants, in particular, felt animosity toward free Blacks, who they felt created competition for jobs in large cities. Anger over a military draft in 1863 led to protests and riots by working class New Yorkers that devolved into violence against the Black population of the city. Despite the challenges facing Black Americans in the years between America’s independence and the outbreak of civil war, many enslaved people risked their lives to reach freedom in northern states or Canada. They utilized the Underground Railroad to make their way north, and many also became active in the abolitionist movement and worked to pressure the federal government for a legislative end to slavery.

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Overview of Slavery and Racial Discrimination in America