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[[File:North_of_Slavery.jpg|thumbnail|left|250px|[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0226485862/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0226485862&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=40e128d6dd506030d6b0a81c69269f03 North of Slavery: The Negro in the Free States: 1790 – 1860 ] By Leon Litwick]]''This article was originally published on [http://videri.org/index.php?title=North_of_Slavery| Videri.org] and is republished here with their permission.''
Leon Litwack’s book, ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0226485862/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0226485862&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=40e128d6dd506030d6b0a81c69269f03 North of Slavery: The Negro in the Free States: 1790 – 1860]'', is an examination of the treatment of African-Americans in northern states prior to the Civil War shows . The book demonstrates that freedom from slavery did not guarantee a status comparable to that of white citizens. Though slaves in the South faced more explicit deprivation of rights, “even the more subtle forms of twentieth-century racial discrimination had their antecedents in the antebellum North.” Northern whites and their political representatives actively discriminated against African-Americans because they believed that the two races were naturally unequal.
Litwack is careful not to overstate his case. Northern African-Americans had more rights than slaves, and many northern whites opposed slavery. That said, “most northern whites would maintain a careful distinction between granting Negroes legal protection. .and political and social equality.” Patterns of discrimination were not uniform among the different states but, in sum effect, the psychology of prejudice combined with legal measures to “restrict northern negroes in virtually every phase of existence.” This system undermined northern politicians who sought to regulate slavery at the Federal level. On the floor of the House of Representatives, one congressman from Virginia once demanded: “Go home and emancipate your free negroes. When you do that, we will listen to you with more patience.”
Litwack broke new ground with this study, and his thesis is well supported. Though it may be unfair to ask that he achieve something different from his original aim, his work still leaves a reader to wonder about the origins and evolution of this system. A few other questions are also worth asking: what were the impacts of Dred Scott and Plessy vs. Ferguson? Both cases, though significant in their shaping of American race relations, receive little attention from Litwack here. Most importantly, what was the relationship between northern systems of exclusion and southern slavery? Aside from weakening abolitionism, did they influence one another? In short, <i>North of Slavery</i> is an effective book because it provokes questions about its chosen topic and inspires further research.
====Related Topics===={{#dpl:category=African American History|ordermethod=firstedit|order=descending|count=12}} ''This article was originally published on [http://videri.org/index.php?title=North_of_Slavery| Videri.org] and is republished here with their permission.'' [http://videri.org/index.php?title=Guide_to_the_Literature Check out other great articles at Videri.org.]
[[Category:19th Century History]] [[Category:Book Review]] [[Category:United States History]][[Category:African American History]] [[Category:Videri.org]]
