Deck 7: Free Black People in Antebellum America

Question 1

Examine the lithograph of the Five Points neighborhood in New York City.How do free black women behave in the street scene?

A) They ignore white people.
B) They sell things to white people.
C) They physically attack white people.
D) They physically defend white people.

Answer 1

They physically attack white people.

Question 2

What was the importance for southern free blacks in carrying and renewing their "free papers"?

A) to encourage other black slaves to escape
B) to protect themselves from enslavement
C) to provoke local whites to retaliate against enslaved blacks
D) to assist the federal government

Answer 2

to protect themselves from enslavement

Question 3

What economic aspect of the U.S.needed to be improved before the market and industrial revolutions could expand?

A) the construction industry
B) subsistence farming
C) transportation
D) labor relations

Answer 3

transportation

Question 4

What did the market revolution do to the northern states?

A) turned them into slave-based economies
B) drained the region of immigrants
C) decreased the size of cities
D) industrialized the society

Question 5

What types of laws did Indiana,Michigan,Iowa and Wisconsin pass regarding black citizens in their states?

A) They all allowed blacks to vote and banned segregation.
B) They all pushed for women's rights before the beginning of the national women's rights movement.
C) They limited or banned black immigration to their states.
D) They tried to bring slavery into their states but failed.

Question 6

Why was the Fugitive Slave Law of 1793 considered a danger to free blacks?

A) White masters could have fugitive slaves shot upon sight-and frequently did.
B) The federal government, for the first time, demonstrated that it supported slavery.
C) Any black northerner, under the law, could be kidnapped and forced into slavery.
D) Most never worried about the law; it was rarely enforced or used.

Question 7

Which of the following statements about segregation is true?

A) The "better classes" of blacks were sometimes allowed into facilities reserved for whites.
B) Blacks faced many difficulties in trying to ride public transportation, although they often had no choice but to attempt to use it.
C) Segregation was apparent only in the South.
D) Segregation of public facilities began only in the twentieth century.

Question 8

What were the policy differences between the Democratic Party and the Whig Party?

A) Whigs favored states rights and Democrats did not.
B) Democrats favored the abolition of slavery while Whigs did not.
C) Whigs favored the territorial expansion of the nation and Democrats did not.
D) Democrats disdained immigrants and Whigs embraced them as new voters.

Question 9

According to Map 7-2,how did the transportation revolution impact African American people?

A) It made no impact on black communities.
B) It enabled slaves to escape more effectively.
C) It provided black families with greater barriers to freedom.
D) It led to a reduction in the role of slavery in cotton cultivation.

Question 10

Most white northerners in the period between 1820 and 1860 __________.

A) were generally more liberal than southerners on race issues
B) wanted nothing to do with blacks and held racist ideas similar to those of southerners
C) were about equally divided between those who wanted slavery to continue and those who fought against it
D) thought that blacks were hard, honest workers who would take jobs away from them

Question 11

The term "Jim Crow" in 1841 was used by a Massachusetts railroad company to describe what new concept and policy?

A) segregated cars for black riders
B) integrated cars for all riders
C) segregated cars for women riders
D) integrated cars for male riders

Question 12

Disfranchisement of blacks took place in the North except for most of what region?

A) Mid-Atlantic
B) Old Northwest
C) New England
D) Upper Northeast

Question 13

What were "black laws"?

A) laws passed in the states of the Old Northwest during the early-nineteenth century that set up rights for blacks, including rights previously held by whites only
B) laws passed in the states of the Old Northwest during the early-nineteenth century banning or restricting black settlement
C) early-nineteenth century laws that forbid blacks from entering certain professions like law and medicine
D) early-nineteenth century laws passed in the states of the Old Southwest that segregated blacks on all forms of public transportation

Question 14

What region of the U.S.passed laws to exclude blacks?

A) Deep South
B) Upper South
C) New England
D) the Old Northwest

Question 15

Under what circumstances did some free blacks avoid segregation and gain access to hotels in the northern states during the first half of the 1800s?

A) They used force to gain entrance.
B) They petitioned local whites for entrance.
C) They were the servants of whites.
D) They relied upon Native Americans for help.

Question 16

What was the origin of the term "Jim Crow"?

A) Jim Crow was the first African American to challenge the segregation of public facilities in court.
B) Jim Crow was a blackface minstrel act of the 1840s.
C) Jim Crow was a derogatory term for a scarecrow, often used by agricultural blacks.
D) The origins of "Jim Crow" are completely unknown.

Question 17

Examine Map 7-2.Why did southern whites not invest in transportation infrastructure as much as northern whites did during the antebellum era?

A) Southern whites were more focused on recruiting immigrants.
B) Southern whites were too busy investing in factories.
C) Southern whites were more focused on cotton and slaves.
D) Southern whites were distracted by Native American attacks.

Question 18

How did New York deal with voting requirements for blacks?

A) It allowed both black and white women to vote, with no property requirements.
B) It completely eliminated the right to vote for all blacks.
C) It eliminated property requirements for whites but continued them for black men.
D) It refused to change its property requirements for either whites or blacks.

Question 19

Where was the largest free black urban population in the period between 1820 and 1860?

A) Philadelphia
B) New York
C) Virginia
D) Massachusetts

Question 20

When property qualifications were removed from voting requirements in most states during the Jackson administration,elites __________.

A) disfranchised black men
B) continued to allow wealthy black men to vote
C) opened the voting process up to black women as well
D) allowed American Indians to vote, but not any other ethnic group

Question 21

What were Frederick Douglass and other abolitionist leaders able to accomplish for Massachusetts' public schools?

A) They persuaded city leaders to allow all-black schools to be established.
B) They worked to desegregate the schools, including those in Boston, by 1845.
C) They pushed for African history to be taught as well as white European history.
D) They persuaded city leaders to pay black teachers the same as white teachers.

Question 22

What was the result of inadequate public funding for black schools in the North?

A) Teaching suffered because the pay was so low.
B) Many northerners began to think that black students were intellectually inferior.
C) Some black leaders began to push for integrated schools in the North.
D) White teachers refused to teach there at all.

Question 23

How did the free black family in the North change in the time period between 1820 and 1860?

A) The number of two-parent households began to increase as more slaves were freed.
B) More families became single-parent households, with women heading them.
C) The number of two-parent households remained steady.
D) Black families began having more children, on average, than white families.

Question 24

Which of the following is a true statement about blacks and admission to institutions of higher learning?

A) College was often easier to attend than primary education.
B) No college or university in the North allowed students of both races to attend.
C) Higher education for blacks was very similar to college today.
D) Blacks generally were not interested in a college-level education at this time.

Question 25

How did black authors convey slavery thematically in their literature?

A) by portraying an America that had not yet lived up to its ideals
B) by portraying an America that celebrated black accomplishments
C) by portraying an America that allowed blacks and whites to marry
D) by portraying an America where Christian values should not exist

Question 26

What themes did many black authors of the antebellum era emphasize?

A) Many black authors portrayed an America that had not lived up to its revolutionary ideals.
B) Many black authors suggested that if blacks simply trusted in God, slavery would end.
C) Many black authors emphasized the kindness of most northerners and the evils of most southerners.
D) Many black authors tried to mimic white authors and looked at many of the same themes as whites.

Question 27

Which of the following was true about the northern black elite?

A) The black elite were unable to create self-help organizations.
B) The black elite were often escaped slaves whom rich blacks emulated.
C) Complexion played a major role in defining black status in urban areas.
D) Black elites were unable to gain significant amounts of wealth.

Question 28

What types of positions were black women able to find in the northern states during the antebellum decades?

A) shoemakers or barbers
B) domestic servants or laundresses
C) secretarial or clerical work
D) waitresses in restaurants

Question 29

Why did separate black church congregations receive criticism within the black community?

A) Some African Americans, including Frederick Douglass, thought separate black church congregations were just another example of segregation in American society.
B) Some African Americans thought that black ministers were far too intellectual and did not speaking to the common black church member.
C) Some thought that the black churches should be more involved with the community, rather than simply holding worship services.
D) Some criticized the churches for not organizing mass marches and protests against segregation.

Question 30

During the 1840s free black pioneers traveled to which new area of settlement?

A) the Old Northwest
B) Oregon
C) Florida
D) the Bahamas

Question 31

What types of organizations were black women attracted to in the antebellum period?

A) women's rights organizations, especially those stressing the right to vote
B) poetry and reading clubs
C) mutual aid organizations, especially those that helped the poor and disadvantaged
D) groups that worked for the protection of nature and the environment

Question 32

Examine W.M.Prior's 1854 portrait of Eliza,Nellie,and Margaret Copeland.What aspect of the portrait indicates the elite status of this black family?

A) The girls sit and stand in the image.
B) The girls are dressed in expensive clothing.
C) The girls are inside a building.
D) Trees are visible through the window situated behind the children.

Question 33

What mineral discovery attracted African American people to California in 1849?

A) copper
B) silver
C) gold
D) uranium

Question 34

What do the portraits of John Rock,Edmonia Lewis,and Frances Harper shown in Chapter 6 reveal about free blacks of the antebellum era?

A) Prominent free blacks scorned slavery and the entire southern population.
B) Prominent free blacks attempted to hide their wealth and status as they worked in antebellum cities.
C) Prominent free blacks dressed in professional attire and could afford to be photographed.
D) Prominent free blacks were often slaveholders in the South.

Question 35

Why did black families in the urban north often have boarders?

A) because whites forced them to have overseers who kept track of their activities
B) for protection from white violence
C) for economic reasons
D) because housing was at an all-time low and people did not have very many places to stay

Question 36

Which of the following is true about free black businesses in the northern states during the era?

A) Blacks failed to sustain businesses within the black community.
B) Blacks were successful in creating businesses that expanded the black community.
C) Black businesses were owned exclusively by white patrons.
D) Black small businesses were deemed illegal by the federal government which helped to contract the black community.

Question 37

How were black and white voluntary associations similar during the antebellum period?

A) Black and white associations were very different in tactics and ideas.
B) Both black and white associations drew on a reform spirit, focusing on many of the same issues and concerns.
C) Both black and white associations focused solely on abolishing slavery.
D) Both black and white associations focused solely on the temperance movement.

Question 38

Study the lithograph depicting the leaders of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.How are the background scenes related to the main message conveyed by the artist?

A) The scenes convey violence, destruction, and chaos as the church fought its way forward against white racism.
B) The scenes convey disinterest and decay as they church declined during the era.
C) The scenes convey conflict with the federal government as the church experienced legal challenges.
D) The scenes convey dedication, education, and piety as the church gained greater popularity.

Question 39

Why was it difficult for blacks to find jobs in the North after 1820?

A) There were very few jobs in the North after 1820 due to an economic depression.
B) White immigration increased and employers preferred to hire whites.
C) Racism began in the North only after 1820.
D) Industry, especially the textiles industry, began to shift to the south.

Question 40

What types of skilled jobs were black men able to find in the northern states during the antebellum decades?

A) ironwork or bricklaying
B) newspaper journalism
C) domestic service in private homes
D) shoemaking or barbering

Question 41

The antebellum era was a golden age of African-American literature because racial exploitation and discrimination motivated black creativity.

Question 42

Which of the following was a difference between free blacks in the Upper South and free blacks in the North?

A) Free blacks in the North were far fewer in number than free blacks in the Upper South.
B) Free blacks in the Upper South were not allowed to hold skilled jobs.
C) Free blacks in the Upper South were not allowed to live in cities.
D) Free blacks in the Upper South were lived alongside slaves.

Question 43

Rarely achieving great wealth and popularity in the antebellum era,black artists and musicians were not considered part of the northern African-American elite.

Question 44

What California cities contained black communities by the early 1850s?

A) Modesto, Redding, and Chico
B) San Francisco, Sacramento, and Los Angeles
C) San Diego, Santa Barbara, and San Jose
D) Monterrey, Salinas, and Pacific Grove

Question 45

Because of employment considerations and other factors, free African Americans accounted for a significantly larger percentage of the population of large cities than they did of the total American population.

Question 46

In some cases, members of the black elite owed their success to technological innovations.

Question 47

Which of the following is true about the lives of free blacks in the Deep South as compared to those in the Upper South?

A) There were more free blacks in the Deep South, but they had fewer rights.
B) Free blacks in the Deep South generally had parents who were both directly from Africa.
C) A sophisticated caste system developed in the Deep South, with free blacks often more closely identifying with the white masters than with slaves.
D) There were no free blacks in the Deep South.

Question 48

The Industrial Revolution in England encouraged industrial change in the U.S.,but it took improved transportation to bring these changes directly to the nation.

Question 49

Black Californians lived and worked in racially-exclusive communities that included primarily white Americans.

Question 50

Black women in California had arrived in the state most likely __________.

A) with other black women as domestic workers
B) with their husbands and families
C) by themselves to open businesses
D) as single parents with their children

Question 51

In 1834 Henry Blair of Maryland became the first African American to patent an invention-a horse-drawn mechanized corn seed planter

Question 52

Northern white churches allowed blacks to sit anywhere they wanted to sit during church services.

Question 53

The __________ party developed to support Andrew Jackson and to oppose John Quincy Adams.

Question 54

Yale medical school expelled Martin Delany in the 1830s because he was black.

Question 55

Despite "black laws," a few black families sought economic opportunities in the West during the antebellum period.

Question 56

The antebellum Deep South created a three-caste system similar to that of what other region that practiced slavery?

A) the Roman Republic
B) Ancient Greece
C) Latin America
D) China

Question 57

Examine Thomas Wood's 1858 painting Market Woman.What aspect of the subject's appearance is typical of a black urban woman in the antebellum era?

A) She stands with one arm resting on her hip.
B) She wears bright clothing and a head scarf.
C) She gazes directly at the viewer of the image.
D) She is situated near a wall.

Question 58

What were the results of black benevolent organizations in the Upper South?

A) race riots and the burning of black communities
B) increased household incomes for black workers
C) sponsored parades, picnics, and fairs
D) elections of black men to statewide offices

Question 59

Regarding employment,free blacks in the Upper South __________.

A) were never hired by whites because they could get free slave labor
B) faced less competition from immigrants until the 1850s, and therefore could get jobs in industry more easily than blacks in the North
C) were skilled tradespersons, such as carpenters, bakers, and barbers
D) could generally get jobs only as barbers within the black community

Question 60

By 1810 states had begun dropping the property qualifications that had limited citizens' right to vote.One by one,they moved toward universal white manhood suffrage.This trend doomed the openly elitist __________ Party

Question 61

Why did a close relationship exist between free blacks and whites in the Deep South?

Question 62

White workers excluded young black men from__________,and refused to work with black people because of racism and economic competition.

Question 63

The rising tide of ____________ from Europe hurt northern free blacks economically.

Question 64

Why did black institutions become more varied and numerous during the antebellum period?

Question 65

The term "_________" came to be used to describe segregated facilities in the U.S.

Question 66

What types of jobs could African Americans obtain in the North in comparison with the jobs obtained by Irish immigrants?

Question 67

Discuss some of the characteristics of black voluntary societies in the period.How did gender and class shape the types of activities blacks were involved in?

Question 68

Membership in the free black elite was connected to __________ and __________,though other factors such as education also played an important role as well.

Question 69

How did many northern states react to free blacks in the period from 1820 to 1860? What does this tell us about American society at the time?

Question 70

Study the lithograph of the Five Points neighborhood of New York City.What message is the artist providing to the viewer of the image?

Question 71

The __________ continued to be the center of black communities over time.

Question 72

Why did different states in the North provide varying voting rights to free blacks?

Question 73

The __________ __________ Party brought about the repeal of Ohio's black laws.

Question 74

Free black women did __________ labor,and free black men performed __________ labor in northern cities during the antebellum era.

Question 75

How did the free black population change from 1820 to 1860,and how is this change related to new state laws?

Question 76

The existence of __________ relationships frames the 1853 story of Clotel by William Wells Brown.

Question 77

Why did some single-parent households increase during the 1820 to 1860 period and how is this increase related to changes experienced by the black community?

Question 78

Compare and contrast the differences and similarities between free blacks of the North and free blacks of the Upper South.