On this day in 1830, officials in Portsmouth, Ohio, began forcibly deporting Black residents from the town. This action was carried out under Ohio’s oppressive “Black Laws,” which imposed strict regulations on free African Americans, including mandatory registration, proof of freedom, and surety bonds. These laws created a hostile environment that enabled white citizens and authorities to drive out Black communities through intimidation and force. The expulsion in Portsmouth is one of the earliest recorded mass removals of African Americans in the North, revealing the reach of institutional racism even in free states.
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