"<span>Slaves had no right to sue for freedom. Slaves did not possess citizens' rights." Both of these are true. The supreme court ruled that slaves were not citizens and did not have the rights of citizens, which meant they couldn't file lawsuits.</span>
With the Gold Rush came a huge increase in population and a pressing need for civil government. In 1849, Californians sought statehood and, after heated debate in the U.S. Congress arising out of the slavery issue, California entered the Union as a free, nonslavery state by the Compromise of 1850.
The main death along the trails of tears was disease, malnutrition and exposure.
African Americans Settle in Fort Mose<span>. The first African Americans came to Florida in the late 1500s. The Europeans brought them here from Africa. Most were enslaved in the British Colonies, but there were some free Africans who settled in </span>St. Augustine<span>.</span>
