From 1775 to 1830, many African Americans gained freedom from slavery, yet during the same period the institution of slavery expanded. How did both...

Between 1775-1830, some African Americans gained freedom, even though the institution of slavery increased in the United States. There are reasons why this occurred.

The North had been less suitable for the use of slaves. Because the soil was rocky and the climate was cooler than in the South, there were fewer slaves in the North. The North had a great deal of manufacturing and industry, which tended not to require the use of slaves....

Between 1775-1830, some African Americans gained freedom, even though the institution of slavery increased in the United States. There are reasons why this occurred.

The North had been less suitable for the use of slaves. Because the soil was rocky and the climate was cooler than in the South, there were fewer slaves in the North. The North had a great deal of manufacturing and industry, which tended not to require the use of slaves. As a result, there was more support for eventually ending slavery in the North. While some states ended slavery in the 1780s, slavery didn’t actually end in some of these states until the 1820s or later. William Lloyd Garrison and others joined anti-slavery societies. Garrison published an anti-slavery newspaper. These actions helped bring attention to the goals of the abolitionist movement. Eventually, slavery was eventually banned in the northern states.

In the South, the situation was very different. The land was very fertile, and the climate was suited for farming. As a result, most of the people farmed in the South. When the cotton gin was invented, it made it much easier to separate the seeds from the cotton. As a result, the amount of land that was used for growing cotton increased significantly in the South. Slavery, which already had existed in the South, was now more important. The demand for slaves grew as more cotton was grown. The white southerners couldn’t envision their economy being successful without the use of slaves. Cotton also became an important southern export. Thus, slavery became more entrenched in the South and expanded throughout the South during this time period.

Once slavery ended in the North, African Americans in the North worked to help slaves from the South escape to the North. While some of these African Americans in the South tried to escape to the North, others continued to live as slaves, either because they didn't want to risk an escape or because they had accepted slavery as a way of life.