Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: Rights Before Civil War Pt. 10: Not Slaves but Not Free
Even free African Americans living in the North in the nineteenth century were not treated as full citizens.
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: Rights Before Civil War Pt. 11: Dred Scott v. Sanford
The Supreme Court in 1857 thought it could avoid war by finding that African Americans were not citizens. The effect was precisely the opposite.
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: Rights Before Civil War Pt. 14: The Emancipation Proclamation
Contrary to popular opinion, the Emancipation Proclamation didn't actually free all slaves.