African Americans in the Revolutionary War
Before the Revolutionary War even began, slaves started to realize that the promises to secure their freedom from England and reduce the amount of slaves were seemingly unlikely. The African Americans were segregated and determined as free or enslaved. The Atlantic Slave Trade was setup to be a successful business in the 18th century , it sent slaves to southern states that specialized in agriculture. Slavery in the North was also legal and accepted as well. However, some colonies did allow free African Americans. Even though they had their freedom, rights of these African Americans were still confined. Black Codes consisted of stipulations such as, prohibiting their right to vote, forbidding them to sit on juries, and not allowing them the ability to testify against a white person in court. These codes made it hard to really feel like they had freedom and were in no way shape or form equal to a free white American. At the beginning of the American Revolution, African Americans were demanded to choose whether to rebel, or to stay committed to the crown. Many African American slaves fought with Britain in the war because they were promised their freedom once again.
A significant amount of African American slaves died during the Revolution, some of them got away but not very many. In the United States at this time, about 95% of the African Americans living here were enslaved. They were used by the white Americans during the war because of this. In 1777 George Washington approved the right for African American slaves to enlist, but only a small percentage actually did. A lot of the Northerners thought that the south using slaves on the front line was cruel and that the south needed their slaves in order to continue growing their economy. This made the South seem incompetent without their slaves. The African Americans fought for the United States and England. This was not right to use them and the British even used their heads to make them join and fight against the
A significant amount of African American slaves died during the Revolution, some of them got away but not very many. In the United States at this time, about 95% of the African Americans living here were enslaved. They were used by the white Americans during the war because of this. In 1777 George Washington approved the right for African American slaves to enlist, but only a small percentage actually did. A lot of the Northerners thought that the south using slaves on the front line was cruel and that the south needed their slaves in order to continue growing their economy. This made the South seem incompetent without their slaves. The African Americans fought for the United States and England. This was not right to use them and the British even used their heads to make them join and fight against the
Cited: http://fas-history.rutgers.edu/clemens/AfricanAmericansRevolution.html http://www2.coloradocollege.edu/Dept/HY/HY243Ruiz/Research/revolution.html http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/learning_history/revolution/revolution_slavery.cfm