Free Negro Labor and Property Holding in Virginia, 1830-1860

Book excerpt: The free Negro in Virginia before the Civil War was a by-product of slavery. During one period he was granted certain civil rights and had many economic opportunities; at another period these rights were withdrawn and the opportunities were diminished. The span of time in which the free Negro is thought to have suffered the most severe restrictions is that treated in this study, from 1830 to 1860. During this period limitations were many, but they were largely legal and political. Favorable economic conditions mitigated the force of the law and enabled the free Negroes to advance along with the general upward movement in the state. The advancement made by the free Negro, in spite of the law, is the theme of this study. -- Introduction.