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• Stephen Douglas does not believe African Americans are citizens
• “I believe [the government] was made by white men for the benefit of white men and their prosperity for ever, and I am in favor of confining citizenship to where men, men of European birth and descent, instead of conferring it upon Negroes.”
• Politicians like Douglas used religion to say basically “if God made African Americans equal to whites, why aren’t they?”
• Believes each state should operate under sovereignty regarding slavery

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• Dred Scott had unsuccessfully sued for his freedom after being taken from a slave state to a free state
• Court ruled Missouri compromise was unconstitutional
• African-Americans were not able to be actual citizens of the US

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• Constantly uses “he” women are rarely included in rights men have
• Must be a white male to be apart of the senate/general assembly
• Every white male over 21 who has lived in the IN for over a year can vote in the county he lives in
• Only able-bodied men in the military between 18-45 years old

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• Interview with Anna-Lisa Cox (author of Bone and Sinew of the Land)
• African-Americans wanted to settle in the Northwest because it was the largest piece of land free from slavery in the US
• Northwest Territory was racist but not as bad as the South. Colored Convention Movements worked to gain equality for African-American civil rights
• Aspects of the Northwest Ordinance were violated in respect to African-American rights
• African-Americans were outnumbered and had difficulty farming large pieces of land in the Northwest Territory

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• Documented law required slaves to be returned even if they escaped to a free state
• Those who aid in hiding slaves, etc could be fined or sentenced to jail
• Slaves caught could be sentenced to jail and even execution
• Commissioners could make arrests and government supports
• “… shall grant certificates to such claimants, upon satisfactory proof being made, with authority to take and remove such fugitives from service or labor, under the restrictions herein contained, to
• the State or Territory from which such persons may have escaped or fled.”

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• The Northwest Territory was comprised of Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. It was seen as a haven for African American farming in rural areas.
• Contained many integrated schools and churches such as the Union Literary Institute.
• Northwest Ordinance of 1787 claimed the region would be abolished of slavery and any many with over 50 acres of land could vote, regardless of race.
• Racist laws were present but tolerance and even harmony were seen in the Northwest Territory.
• Some politicians thought that the prejudices laws were dangerous for society, yet they were rarely changed.
• “Racism arose in the face of African-American success, not African-American failure.” - Anna-Lisa Cox
• Petitions about ending slavery were quieted by the federal government… the gag rule was placed on federal government over the issue of slavery.

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• African-Americans settled mostly in rural areas
• Many settled in Indiana in places such as Orange, Gibson, Jefferson, Hamilton, and Grant County. Townships formed here contained growing rates of African-American citizens
• African-American settlements disbanded around the same time.. there was an exodus of African-Americans out of these counties and townships
• Counties in Indiana offered legal protection from slavery. Escaped slaves, families on the run from kidnappings, etc were found here
• Possible reasons for African-American movement out of Indiana include the boom of job opportunities in nearby cities and racial tensions rising.

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• “all men are created equal”
• No slavery or involuntary solitude (no indenture of natives or African-Americans)
• White men only voting over age of 21
• Natives and African Americans do not have suffrage
• Men 18-45 in the military
• Article 13 - “Negroes and Mulattoes”
◦ No native/African American may come into IN after constitution of 1851
◦ All contracts of them coming into the state are void

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• Written by Anna-Lisa Cox about the history of racism and interracial communities
• The Great West offered equal voting rights for all men regardless of color
• Discusses the rising of African-American settlements in rural communities and the effect it had on the country
• William Lloyd Garrison was a prominent white abolitionist who spoke with African-American abolitionists in Ohio and Michigan (influence on Indiana)
• There were African-American settlers in the old northwest before the US was even established
• Owning land was important to be counted as a “full human”
• African-Americans had to hold conventions that challenged the government for rights

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Hoosier may have lost their rights and property in 1851 because of politicians like Stephen Douglas and the rise of African Americans. Douglas denied African Americans of citizenship and desired to keep America a so called, “white mans republic.” In addition, after the Dred Scott decision, it came to light that African Americans will not tolerate slavery and racism forever. Dred Scott tried to sue for his freedom and although unsuccessful, the attempt gave white citizens of the U.S. a peek of what African Americans would do for their freedom.

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Hoosiers could have lost their rights and property in 1851 because of federal government pressure. Even though the North was a generally free area with free states, the South and the federal government could have overturned the laws in the Northwest Territory, including Indiana. The ruling of the Missouri Compromise being unconstitutional is an example of this. The compromise states all states above Missouri are free states, yet the ruling following the Dred Scott case deems this statement invalid.

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Why did some Hoosiers lose their right to vote and own property in 1851?

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Why did some Hoosiers lose their right to vote and own property in 1851?

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Some Hoosiers could have lost their right to vote and own property because of pressure from the federal government, fear of African American success, and radical white politicians. Although Indiana was seen as a free state, the federal government had heavy influence and control on laws in the state. The Northwest Territory contained many prospering black settlements and once the government recognized this, laws were put in place, solely to diminish African American accomplishments. The fear that the black community would rise and eventually be equal to the white community struck fear in government officials. Politicians such as Stephen Douglas wanted to keep American a so called “white man’s republic.” He declares, “I believe [the government] was made by white men for the benefit of white men and their prosperity for ever, and I am in favor of confining citizenship to where men, men of European birth and descent, instead of conferring it upon Negroes.” Political leaders desired to keep the power in the hands of a specific group; wealthy, white men. In conclusion, even though Hoosiers were growing closer to equality, higher government influence, the uprising of African Americans, and supremacist leaders blocked fairness of races from prospering in Indiana.

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Women did not have the rights men did. Only white men could vote, enroll in the military, be in government positions, etc. African Americans were in the same boat, yet they faced extreme racism. Hoosiers could have lost their rights and property because having a smaller population of eligible voters could be seen as a benefit to government. Limiting these rights to white men allows for a specific group to keep political power.

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Some Hoosiers could have lost their rights and property in 1851 because of the growing racial tensions and the rebellion of African Americans. Federal government could have seen this rise of the black community and been frightened. Many aspects of the Northwest Ordinance were violated in regards to African American and even though many African Americans settled in rural areas of the Northwest Territory, they were outnumbered. It would have been easy to diminish black settlements in order to make room for white settlements.

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This law started to overturn the previously “free state” that Indiana had built. Although African Americans before this act were free in most of the Northwest Territory, the law made it so that slaves that escaped to the Northwest were required to be returned to their masters. Many slaves escaped from Kentucky and North Carolina to Indiana to be free. Now, the government is required to enforce the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 and remove previous slaves from free states.

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African Americans were more successful than historians portrayed them to be. They settled in rural areas of the Northwest Territory and were given some rights. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 gave all men the right to vote if they owned at least 50 acres of land. New settlers in Indiana could have seen this successful group and felt threatened. Therefore, the government later on began to diminish their rights.

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Why did some Hoosiers lose their right to vote and own property in 1851?

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Why did some Hoosiers lose their right to vote and own property in 1851?

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The sources selected for analysis provide insight about how and why some Hoosiers lost their right to vote and own property. They display the influence of political pressure and the affect African American success had on a community controlled dominantly by a white society. The documents express just how powerful societal influence can affect social normalities and laws. The Northwest Territory started as a generally free community and gradually became more racist and discriminatory towards African Americans especially. Although these documents do not all pertain specifically to Indiana, we can continue with the assumption that the Northwest Territory and federal government have heavy influence and correlation to Hoosiers.

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Some Hoosiers lost their right to vote and own property in 1851 possibly due to the federal government putting pressure on Indiana and the Northwest Territory to change their laws and social norms. Being relatively abolished from slavery and more integrated than most of the country, the Northwest was surrounded by governments that did not want African-Americans to succeed. Laws in the South were especially pro-slavery and extremely racist and with the agricultural success, federal governments could have had agendas to push laws similar to these in the Northern areas.

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Hoosiers may have lost their rights from the constitution of 1816 to 1851 because of changing federal governments. Although slavery was outlawed, Natives and African Americans were explicitly told they cannot vote. The constitution becomes more clear-cut in 1851 and although there are grey areas, Article 13 “Negroes and Mulattoes” forbids any other African Americans form coming into Indiana. In addition, there were African Americans and Natives who were settled in Indiana before the state was established. In order to drive these people away to make room for more settlers, their rights could have been lessened in the state.

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Although African Americans had some rights at the time that the Northwest Territory was settled, there were still growing racial tensions in the area and African Americans eventually lost more and more of their rights as the year 1851 neared. Owning property was important in being counted as a full citizen and many African Americans owned and prospered at farms. Even though the black community was prospering in the territory, specifically white leaders diminished their success by limiting their rights.