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- Dred Scott should’ve been able to get freedom since he was in a northern state, but he was denied freedom because of his situation
- Even though Scott was brought into a free state by his owner, his owner was still entitled to have him as a slave because he owned his rights
- The court ruled against Scott because he was not technically a citizen because he was a slave

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- In Orange County, after the civil war, the African American community disappeared, and in the early 1900s there were none left
- Grant County only had a total of two documented African American settlements, and during the civil war, many freed and escaped slaves came here
- Randolph County was renowned for its level of racial cooperation, and founded the Union Literary Institute in 1845, which forbade discrimination

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- Cox found that over 330 African American farming settlements were scattered across the Northwest Territory states
- Cox found in her research that racism was clearly evident in the laws and politics of the region throughout most of the nineteenth century
- Once the Northwest Territory was ready for settlement, it was the first place African Americans came to settle, as it was the largest piece of land free from slavery

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- Northwest Ordinance of 1787 claimed the region would be abolished of slavery
- African Americans tended to settle in more rural areas
- Mostly everybody tolerated each other and lived in harmony even though there were some racist laws
- African American struggles in the northwest were slavery, threats, and the loss of land
- Any petition of ending slavery was quieted by the federal government

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- Lincoln believes that Douglas is just spewing words and is trying to prove a point that isn’t right
- Lincoln believes that each state should have the right to choose whether or not to be a free or slave state
- Lincoln believes African Americans should have the same rights as whites do

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- Lincoln, who obviously becomes president after this, is opposed to the Dred Scott decision which really shows what side he’s on
- The Declaration of Independence says all men are created equal, but many people aren’t truly equal
- Many people believe God never intended for African Americans to be equal to whites
- Douglas believes African Americans are inferior yet doesn’t think they should be slaves

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- In Article 2 it says certain white males can vote, even if they are foreign to the state of even country
- Article 2 says African Americans cannot vote in the state
- Article 12 says the militia will be comprised of able bodied white men
- In Article 13 it says that no African American person can settle in the state anymore, and all contracts with them would be void

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- In Article I it states that all men are born equally free and independent
- Article III is about who can be elected to congress and says nothing about race being a factor
- In Article VII, it talks about the militia, and says all able bodied men must take part, except African Americans and Natives
- In Article XI, it states that there shall never be slavery in the state

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- Many people thought the population of successful African American pioneers integrating Americas first frontier wasn’t possible
- A man of any skin color owning over 200 acres of land would be eligible to run for office regardless of race
- Some areas in the Midwest were against and didn’t welcome black settlement
- When moving far west, African Americans could gain more freedom

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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 lost their right to vote and own property in 1851, because under the new constitution that was put in place in 1851, African Americans couldn’t settle anymore in the state. This constitution also made it so that African Americans couldn’t sign any contracts with anybody for any land. They also lost the right to suffrage, which was also the case in the first constitution in 1816, where only certain white males could vote in elections. The constitution also points out the African  Americans can leave the state if they wish if they don’t agree with all the laws being made. Essentially, the point of the laws was to systematically force out the black population so that they wouldn’t be around as much.

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In this document, Scott is being told that even though he is in a free state, and that his owner already had possession of him, he is still a slave and can’t buy his freedom. This gives off terrible implications because this sets up the opportunity for slave owners to move up north and still keep their slaves.

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There were a good number of early black settlements in Indiana in the early 1800s, but as the years went on, there were typically less and less settlements. Some were pushed out because there wasn’t enough land left, and some communities just died out after the end of the Civil War. Most settlements were most successful during the mid to late 1800s then dropped down after that.

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In this interview with Anna Lisa Cox, she explains her book Bone and Sinew of the Land. She found that racism was clearly evident in the laws and politics of the region throughout most of the nineteenth century. Many black settlements in the Northwest Territory were home to wealthy farmers, and they used that wealth to fight for equality. The Colored Convention Movements worked to gain equality and they claimed the Declaration of Independence, the American Bill of Rights, and the Ordinance of 1787 were all violated and that their rights were taken away.

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This magazine talks about how the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 and how it claimed that the region, including Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin, wouldn’t have any slavery. Lots of places tried to tolerate each other and live peacefully as equals, but the federal government wouldn’t let those groups branch out and persuade others to end slavery. African Americans struggled in the region with threats, loss of land, and equality as it got closer to 1851,

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In this document, Lincoln makes it clear that African Americans should have the same rights that white do, because they are no different than the whites. Lincoln also points out that even though he thinks everyone is equal, the states themselves have their own right to believe otherwise, and the state should control whether they are equal or not.

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In this document, Douglas talks about how he thinks that African Americans aren’t and should never be equals to whites. However, he does say at the end that doesn’t mean they should necessarily be slaves. Douglas is all for the Dred Scott decision, and he believes the court made the right decision because he and a lot of other people don’t believe in African Americans gaining rights.

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In the Constitution of Indiana in 1851, there were much more laws pertaining to African Americans, and lots that restricted their freedom. The worst laws were the ones that stated no more African Americans could settle in Indiana, and that any contracts would now be null. The state was systematically trying to get rid of them.

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In the constitution of Indiana in 1816 it mostly stayed clear of talking about African Americans and Natives, and says that everyone is equal without even mentioning race. Then it later says African Americans can’t even be in the militia, and that slavery is banned in the state. At this point the state is for the most part tolerant of African Americans.

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In this book written by Anna Lisa Cox, she talks about African American settlement and westward expansion to the Northwest Territory. Originally, any person of color owning enough land could run for office, but in other places, black settlement wasn’t even allowed. African American pioneers truly tried to work with whites so everyone could be equal, and in some places they were succeeding and some even founded successful inclusive schools.

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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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These documents provide context as to what the western states at the time were thinking in regards to slavery, equality, and African American rights. These historical documents talk about how the states in the Northwest Territory thought of African Americans, and what they were doing in terms of laws and legal action to adjust to the newly freed slaves. Some people were all for African American settlement in the west and others were completely against it and wanted no part in having African Americans live near or around them.