Free African Americans were allowed to hold low paid jobs during the 1840s and 1850s.
Explanation:
Slavery prevailed during the period of 1840s and 1850s. Though African Americans were freed after the emancipation proclamation, there were black codes that were establish which curtailed the opportunities for the African Americans to hold highly paid jobs.
Though they were skilled craftsmen and artisans, they were considers to be professional rivals against the whites and hence they were given low paid jobs. They were employed as barbers, but many blacks when denied jobs had opened gambling houses and started to earn in an illegal manner. They were also working in laundry and many were paddlers.
