Jim Crow was everywhere...for instance:
“In 1800 the vote of a single black-dominated ward had won control of New York City for the Federalists, and again in 1813 the votes of three hundred free blacks in New York City swept the Federalists into power, and gave them control of the State legislature. The Democrats took their revenge in 1821, when the new State constitution effectively disenfranchised almost every black voter in New York by requiring that they prove that they owned at least two hundred fifty dollars’ worth of property, a restriction not imposed on whites. In 1821 the triumphant Democrats changed the New York State constitution to enfranchise all white males, while erecting barriers to black male voters, so that by 1825 fewer than three hundred blacks out of a total State population of almost thirty thousand, and only sixteen of New York City’s more than twelve thousand blacks could actually vote.”
(Bound For Canaan, Fergus M. Bordewich, HarperCollins, 2005, page 149.)
Time for the Yankees (and I was born in New Jersey) to get off their racial high horse...
Good post. Historical reminder that the entire nation participated with slavery, regardless of how it started, or ended. It was an ugly time in history for the entire planet, although much of the planet still enslaves people and Democrats still keep blacks on the plantation with welfare. I think that liberal vs conservative is back to Democrats versus everyone else circa 1800, primarily cities versus rural.