Hoosier Freeman by Brian Hackett

Like many free African Americans living in North Carolina in the 1830s, Britton Bassett and his grown sons did not
fit into the well-established social order of a slave state. In North Carolina there was room for the rich planter, the poor
white farmer, and even the slave, but the freeman’s place was hard to define. 'The existence of the freeman was contrary to
the image that most white Carolinians had of their society. To many slave-owning southerners, the “benevolent” institution of slavery provided guidance and stability to a savage race. A freeman, living on his or her own, without the benefit of a master, was contrary to that belief. To others,the freeman was a bad influence on slaves because slaves might decide to seek a life without a master. Bassett and his sons were skilled  craftsmen. Britton was a tailor by trade,and three of his sons were carpenters. This fact made them good targets for white anger during times of community stress, suchas after the publication of David Walker’s "Appeal in 1829" and Nat Turner’s slave  rebellion in 1831. Both events   were partially attributed to freemen or slaves given too much freedom. Many whites, especially
those in the lower economic classes, were resentful of free and   successful blacks who they believed competed with them for the lowest-paying positions in the NorthCarolina economy. As a result, freemen in North Carolina and in other parts of the South learned to navigate in a quagmire of nasty public opinion, unfair   laws, and an unfriendly economic climate. Consequently, many freemen chose to leave  their homes and migrate to the North to make a better life for themselves and their families. Parke County, Indiana, was such a place.