Free Person of Color vs. Freedmen

You may have seen these 2 terms listed when doing genealogy research. What do these terms mean? Well I want to give you a few key points re these terms. This will by no means be an exhaustive review of Free People of Color vs Freedman, more an introduction.

Free People of Color is often abbreviated FPOC. For purposes of this blog, we will use FPOC. Both terms refer to blacks, and mulattos. Recall also that mulatto is a term used to note mixed race (white and black, white and native, or native and black). Both groups will be listed in most documents based on their race or appearance of race. The most simplistic way to differentiate between FPOC and freedmen is based on the year. The widespread official end of slavery was 1865. Some states, often in the North, freed their enslaved persons prior to 1865. Anyone black or mulatto prior to this year is a FPOC. Anyone that is free because of the Emancipation Proclamation is a freedman. 

One of the biggest debates I hear are about the origins of FPOC. How did they come to be free? Can I be a descendant of a FPOC and still have slavery in my lineage? The short answer to the second question is yes. To explain that, let’s address the first question. A FPOC may have been born free, or born enslaved and have been freed prior to 1865.  The descendants of a person freed prior to 1865 would have been born free. A child born to an enslaved woman, even if the father were free (regardless of race), would be enslaved. If the father were the enslaver, he may in some rare cases manumit or free that child. A child born to a free white woman, even if she were an indentured servant, was born free. 

As mentioned in last week’s blog, people would understandably seek to distance themselves from the atrocities of slavery. Choosing to identify closely with ancestors that were FPOC over those that were freedmen is an example of this. For most African Americans, there are numerous enslaved ancestors in our family tree. Finding a FPOC in your direct lineage is a source of pride for those who are able to make the connection. I find thought that there isn’t often an association of this FPOC back to slavery, which is likely in their past. The lives that FPOC were able to live and the challenges faced are truly amazing stories! But please be clear that a FPOC is often a descendant of an enslaved person. Unless the only FPOC in your lineage is a mulatto of white and native heritage, you are likely a descendant of an enslaved person. 

As I said at the beginning, this is not at all intended to be all inclusive of the lives and interactions between FPOC and freedmen. There are scholars far better equipped than myself that have written detailed works of literature on the subject. I hope this introduction has intrigued you to to do additional research. Next week, let’s stay in this vane and talk about black enslavers!

I’m not ashamed of my enslaved ancestors. The horrendous experiences they endured are written in my DNA. Also contained in my DNA are connections to disgusting beings who considered my enslaved ancestors as less than human. I also have many FPOC in my lineage and connections to indigenous people. ALL of my ancestors are significant! I don’t value my FPOC over my enslaved ancestors. After all of the research I’ve done, there is so much still unknown. I will continue to dig. This is the reason I end every email and blog for Tangled Roots with, “Always Searching.” It’s who we are.