Pre-War Period of Slavery and "Quasi-freedom" (jan 1, 1790 – jan 1, 1830)

Description:

During this period of time, Baltimore had a unique demographic of slaves and freedmen alike. The economic boom in Baltimore in 1790 made it so that many slaves worked as shipbuilders or household settings. Many freedmen also held similar positions. Lines between slave and free were blurred-- many slaves had more autonomy than plantations slaves, as their masters were not always in town and often times informally emancipated them. The harsh nature of labor made it so that freedmen were not always necessarily free either.