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The Specter of Race If revolutionarychangesbe made in the local law of the District . . .instead of a free negro population of perhaps 14,000in the current anomalous condition of the countrythe Districtof Columbiacannotfailto become at oncethe harbor for at least 50,000 negroes, practically freed as an incident of the war. With such a population, without especial restraining laws, Washington will be rendered almost uninhabitableto the white man. ...The abolitionistsof Congresswho can see naughtworthy oftheir sympathyin the conditionof anyclass in anycommunitybut the negro class,willof coursecontinuetheir tinkeringexperimentsupon the local affairsof the Districtof Columbia,until theymake it nothingless than a hell upon earth for the white man. LVasllington Star, December 11,1861 Congress's intimate ties with Washington meant that it controlled the fate not just of the city's physical development but of its social relationships as well. No such relationship was more central in the first half of the nineteenth century than race. And while Washington's status as slave territory linked its experience with the South, its subjection to federal power left it open to the influence of Northern abolitionists. As the national struggle over slavery heightened, it swept Washington into the controversy, making it a central battleground for the future of race relations in America. Created out of two states with the largest slavepopulations in the South, the District of Columbia contained from its origin a significant black presence . As Maryland increased the pace of emancipation in the early 1800s and a Virginia law of1806 required blacks to leave the state within a year of achieving their freedom, Washington's free black population rose significantly ' While Washington ranked below other major cities in the absolute size of its free black population, by1840 it nonetheless ranked ahead of the, others in terms of the total black proportion of its population, a position it retained right up to the eve of the Civil War (tableI). Moreover, fears that the black population would grow even larger spurred authorities to restrict its movement. The city's first black code, passed in 1808,imposed a 55 fine on blacks Table 1 Free Black Population by City (and % Total) 1800 1820 1840 1860 Philadelphia 4,210 (10.2) 7,579 (11.9) 10,507 (11.2) 22,500 ( 3.9) New York 3,499 ( 5.8) 10,368( 8.4) 16,358 ( 5.2) 12,500 ( 1.5) Baltimore 2,771 (10.4) 10,326 (16.5) 17,967 (17.6) 25,000 (11.7) Boston 1,174 ( 4.7) 1,687 ( 4.0) 2,427 ( 2.6) 2,000 ( 1.2) Charleston 951 ( 5.1) 1,475 ( 6.0) 1,558 ( 5.3) 3,200 ( 7.9) Washington 123 ( 3.8) 1,696 (13.0) 4,808 (20.6) 9,209 (15.0) Cincinnati 2 0 ( 2 . 7 ) 1,475(4.5) 2,240(4.8) 3,731(2.4) Source: 1800-1840 figures appear in Leonard P. Curr): The Free Black in L'rban America, 1800-iRjo: The Shadow of the Dream (Chicago:University of Chicago Press, 1981);1860 figures were compiled from local histories. out after lo o'clock in the evening. Following a petition to Congress in 1810 seekingto guard against "the disorderly and tumultuous meetings of slaves and free negroes," the city in1812 authorized jail sentences for those caught out at night and attending "disorderly" meetings. Freeblacks were required to carry certificates of freedom at all times, and while this provided them some protection against kidnapping, they were prohibited from disturbing the peace and playing games of cards or dice and required to securepermits for balls or dances. Under the terms by which the city charter was renewed in 1820,free blacks were required to register their freedom papers with the mayor and to secure the testimony of one "good and responsible free white citizen" of personal acquaintance that they lived peaceable and quiet lives. They were required to post a $20 bond for good behavior and against the possibility that they might become a charge on the ~orporation.~ In 1827 the city extended the rules governing freeblack behavior, requiring annual registration with the posting of a bond for good behavior and self-support.3 A year later all persons of color were prohibited from visiting the Capitol "without necessary business." The city set fines for offenses by free blacks and authorized whipping slaves who violated established standards of dec ~ r u m . ~ Somewhat more permissivethan similar codes in the South,Washington 's regulations conformed closelyto laws enacted...

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