When one faces violence and other harsh realities, it is expected that they will attempt to flee to an area where they can experience freedom and peace. The African American community of the 19 th century shattered this expectation. This community endured years of oppression and violence. Yet, despite this treatment, thousands of African Americans chose to stay in the South. This was even true for African Americans who had secured their freedom and were no longer under the control of slave owners. A complex range of factors inspired the African Americans to stay in the South instead of moving to Northern states which guaranteed freedom and dignified treatment.
The threat of losing the property that they had amassed is one of the factors that forced some African Americans to stay in the South. There were some members of this community who owned slaves, land and other properties (Gates, n.d). Moving to the North would mean walking away from the massive wealth. It is therefore not surprising that many African Americans stayed in the South. Another reason that motivated African Americans to stay in the South was that many of them were concerned about their future if they moved to the North (Gates, 2013). While the experiences in the South were harsh, the uncertainty of what lay ahead in the North proved sufficient to convince the African Americans to stay in the South. The need to maintain family unit is yet another factor that inspired the African Americans to remain in the South. Had they moved to the North, they would have been separated from their families. Some African Americans obtained inspiration to stay in the South from the fact that they had acquired skills and competencies that they could employ in the South (Gates, 2013). For example, there were some African Americans who worked as barbers and blacksmiths. It is evident that in choosing to stay in the South, African Americans were driven by a number of significant and valid reasons.
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References
Gates, H. L. (2013). Why did free blacks stay in the Old South? The Root. Retrieved September
13, 2018 from https://www.theroot.com/why-did-free-blacks-stay-in-the-old-south-1790897284
Gates, H. L. (n.d). Free blacks lived in the North, right? PBS. Retrieved September 16, 2018
From http://www.pbs.org/wnet/african-americans-many-rivers-to-cross/history/free-blacks-lived-in-the-north-right/
