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====== Freedom's Yoke: Gender Conventions among Antebellum Free Blacks ======

====== Social Expectations ======

Horton mainly argued that gender roles, among formerly enslaved people in the late 1880s to early 1900's, were influenced by multiple factors such as social expectations combined with racism. For instance, Horton discussed that many Black men in the north faced harsh economic discrimination because they were only able to work low-paying jobs, outside of the many opportunities in the industrial work industry. Within the institute of slavery, men were expected to be strong providers who used their hands to provide for their families physically. However, once large groups of Black men began migrating north, racism remained rampant during the antebellum period, which severely restricted housing and education, making working a further obstacle for freemen. Nevertheless, Black women ultimately began working in factories and shipyards, while also serving as caregivers at home. Therefore, there became a gender expectational shift within the Black community in the North, because women became the primary providers while also being expected to care for children and be wives. (Allisya Smith)

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