tant anti-black laws would jeopardize their goal of achieving statehood, despite the fact that numerous petitions to restrict blacks were received from their constituencies. Once statehood was achieved, however, states such as Illinois and Indiana quickly enacted repressive legislation, such as miscegenation laws and the establishment of systems of indenture servitude for blacks.
As more blacks emigrated to the Northwest, the degree of racial hatred intensified. Multiple factors contributed to this sentiment. One was economic rivalry. The proslavery element made an emotional appeal to poor whites regarding the potential negative impact of an influx of blacks, both free and slave. The poor white would be forced to work alongside the black man and would become the victim of crime and harassment. Economic rivalry was an argument that was relevant more for white laborers than for farmers: "Farmers serving as delegates to state constitutional conventions in Illinois and Ohio, two states in which agricultural production was expand
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