Final answer:
Most of the U.S. black population in the 1800s were slaves living in the South. Almost 4 million were enslaved by 1860, with a large but smaller number of free blacks also residing in the South. Northern African Americans began migrating to urban areas in search of better opportunities, leading to the development of segregated black business districts.
Step-by-step explanation:
The African American Population in the 1800s
Throughout the 1800s, most of the U.S. black population lived in the South as enslaved workers on plantations, primarily for cultivating cotton and tobacco. The 1800 census recorded over one million African Americans, almost 900,000 of whom had slave status. By 1860, this number rose to 4.4 million, with 3.95 million in bondage. The domestic slave trade during this period was one of the largest forced internal migrations in the U.S., with about 200,000 people sold and relocated across the South every decade between 1820 and 1860. Post-Civil War, many freed slaves remained in the South as poor agricultural workers. As late as 1910, seven out of every eight African Americans lived in the South, often under oppressive conditions.
Despite the grim realities of slavery, there was also a significant free black population in the South, with approximately 261,000 free blacks in slave states as opposed to 226,000 in the North. This free black population was predominantly in the upper southern states. In the early Southern cities, many enslaved and free blacks found themselves working as domestic servants, living in quarters located on the properties of their white employers or slaveholders.
In stark contrast to Southern blacks, the African American population in the North experienced the beginnings of the Great Migration during the early 20th century, moving from rural areas to cities in search of better economic opportunities. This demographic shift contributed to the emergence of segregated black business districts where African Americans could shop and work with more dignity.