Susan Fridie's Profile

Black Charleston also included a sizeable free black population. In 1860, they numbered more than 3,000 and constituted about one-third of all free blacks in the state. Entry into this group occurred when slaves purchased their freedom or were otherwise emancipated by their owners; others migrated to Charleston and some were emancipated for meritorious service.



As an example of the latter, the slave that climbed to the top of St. Michael's Church to extinguish a fire was emancipated as a result. A large group of free blacks were the mulatto offspring of their masters and slave women. This is why free blacks in Charleston were frequently called "free persons of color;" in 1860, three quarters were mulattoes. Most free black men practiced manual skills and skilled women were frequently employed in the needlecraft trades. Members of the largely mulatto elite acquired real estate and other forms of property and some established businesses.



As a representative of this class, Richard Holloway maintained a carpentry business and owned more than 20 houses at the time of his death in 1823. The single house at 221 Calhoun was originally constructed by Holloway around 1814. In addition to businesses, members of the elite participated in voluntary societies and provided schools or tutors for their children. These opportunities were exceptional though, and the socioeconomic lives of most free blacks were not substantially different from those of the typical urban slave.
The Civil War began in April 1861 with the firing on Fort Sumter and some of the greatest acts of military heroism occurred in Charleston harbor during the war. For example, on May 12, 1862, Robert Smalls and other slave crew members stole the Confederate ship Planter, loaded their families on board, sailed this valuable military asset from the harbor and turned it over to the Union Navy.

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Gladys Fridie

Maroons/Marokons played an important role in the histories of Brazil, Suriname,

Maroon Creole language, in Suriname, is Saramaccan.