Role of Blacks in the American Revolutionary War Essay

The American Revolution resonated with all classes of society, as it stood to divide a nation’s loyalties and recreate the existing fabric of society. During the 1770s to mid 1780s, no group living in the British American colonies was left unaffected. For blacks enslaved in America, the war presented the fleeting possibility of freedom in a nation that was still dependent on an economic structure of oppression and bondage. For those blacks that were free, they chose their alliances wisely in hopes of gaining economic opportunities and improving their status in the American colonies. The American Negroes, whether free or enslaved, could be found on either side of the battlefront. They took on many different roles, some fighting on the

The American Revolutionary war began in-part because of economic struggles England faced after securing safety for it’s colonies during the Seven Years War. England needed to increase their taxation on the colonists after the war to pay off its war debts. Prior to these taxes, the colonies were wholly content while under the wing of the British Empire. Not only because the protection the British provided, but also because of their deep reverence for the Motherland. Colonists were angered by with Parliament due to their lack of acknowledgement towards colonists rights and opinions. Colonists stood together in a defiant motion towards liberation from England’s tyrannous acts of lawless duplicity. Before British government was able to fully

The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War in the United States, was the prosperous military revolt against Great Britain of Thirteen American Colonies which joined together as the United States of America in July 1776. Originally constrained to fighting in those colonies, after 1778 it additionally became a world war between Britain and France, Netherlands, Spain, and Mysore.

The American Revolutionary War was caused by the political disagreements between Great Britain and the American colonies. Most of the Americans initially didn’t want to completely separate from England but wanted to regain the rights that Parliament had taken away from them. England made war unavoidable with its unwillingness to negotiate, heavy taxation of the colonists that violated their rights, and strict trading policies.

By supporting the Revolutionaries actions to break free from British Rule, Douglass alluded to the similar fight that the American population faced to attain the same liberty that white citizens had. With the same courage the Founding Fathers had to create a free country, the American generation of 1852 faced a similar test to uphold the values of the Declaration of Independence, and liberate American slaves.7 After applauding the Founding Fathers, Douglass acknowledges that the emphasis of his speech is not to give praise, but to call on America to act on it’s own failures and begin to faithfully fulfill the nations oath.8 He asks his audience, “Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us [African Americans]?”9 This rhetorical question Douglass presents, challenges America to reevaluate what they are truly celebrating on the Fourth of July, for it is surely not the freedom in which they claim to have achieved. Douglass asserts that asking black people to rejoice in the “shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery”10 and do not respect the courage, and steps the Founding Fathers took to create a free, liberated nation.11

This feature was actually hard to find but he states “There has been no war that we have not fought and died on the front lines of. There has been no job we haven’t done. There is no tax they haven’t leveed against us – and we’ve paid all of them. But freedom is somehow always conditional here. “You’re free,” they keep telling us. But she would have been alive if she hadn’t acted so… free.” He comparing how african americans used to be treated we work fight and died on the front lines like everybody else they tell us we are free but don’t treat us as if we are. This is used to show there is no difference between how we were treated then and how we are treated now. We as in “African Americans” were slaves back then and they treat us the same now

African-Americans have fought on many of liberty’s battlefields from the pre-emancipated plantation to the killing fields of the Civil War. African-Americans have always been willing to fight not just for their freedom, but for their country as well. Yet, their country never lived up to its founding document that asserts that, “All men are created equal; ”instead,

“. . . In the face of heavy odds, black troops had proved once again their courage, determination, and willingness to die for the freedom of their race”

The quote taken from James Forten is a perfect example of the effect that the American Revolution had on African American people. The American Revolution was the “Great Awakening” for African Americans, because it was the spark to the coming Civil War. African Americans used the ideology of the American Revolution to their advantage, and used the ideology to pursue freedom. Even though the American Revolution had a lasting effect on African Americans during this time period it was only moderately revolutionary in improving the lives of African Africans; because, African American were still slaves in most areas, had many of their natural right suppressed, and were seen unfit to handle freedom. The American Revolution gave African Americans ideas of natural rights, equality, and hope for freedom.

The American Revolution (1775-1783) began because of growing conflicts between American colonies and Britain residents. The identity of the American colonists prior to the American Revolution was dependent on Britain. However, they wanted to change their identity because they wanted their freedom. They did not want Britain controlling them anymore, they wanted to become an independent nation. Britain was not content with this, they wanted to have full control over the colonists, so they began creating acts. The identity of American colonists between 1607 and 1775 led to the American Revolution because of events such as the French and Indian War, Britain's heavy taxation, and also because of the slavery, which caused more diversity.

The revolutionary war, a time when a still young and growing thirteen colonies began to take a stand to their mother country, Great Britain. With a lack of communication with the American colonies, a sense of “salutary neglect”, a rift began to form between mother and child. Trust in each other was beginning to wane. This rift soon caused a series of chain reactions. With the British enforcing laws that seriously hindered American expansion and trade. Great Britain having losing their trust in the colonist, they did not respect any American leadership and or opinions. Both sides were both to blame for a war that followed their poor decisions and reactions.

There were many events that took place in the 1760’s and 1770’s that led to the Revolutionary war. During these years the British did many things that upset the colonists. These upset colonists would eventually get sick of all the British ways and fight for their freedom.

About 180,000 African American people comprised 163 units that served in the Union Army, during the time of the Civil War, and many more African American people had served in the Union Navy. Both the free African-Americans and the runaway slaves had joined the fight. On the date of July 17, in the year of 1862, the U. S. Congress had passed two very important acts that would allow the enlistment of many African Americans, but the official enrollment had occurred only after the September, 1862, issuance of the, Emancipation Proclamation. In general, most white soldiers and officers, had believed that most of the black men, who had served in the Civil War, lacked the courage, and the will to fight

The British saw Washington’s original actions and promised emancipation for all slaves who fought for England. Washington's position towards blacks had made it clear that the individuals running the revolution were not interested in black freedom, so the British offer literally produced a flood of African-American volunteers to the British Army. The escaped slaves were not merely good soldiers; they were passionate and saw the British cause as a way to rebel against their American masters. Despite being on the losing end of the war, slaves who fought for the British in the American Revolution mark the beginning of an emancipation movement.

The colonists would probably have kept African Americans out of the military during the war if not for the proclamation by the John Murray, Earl of Dumore. He stated “I do hereby further declare all indented servants, Negroes, or others, free, that are able and willing to bear arms, they joining His Majesty’s Troops, as soon as may be, for the more speedily reducing the Colony to a proper sense of their duty, to His Majesty’s crown and dignity.'; This brought chaos to the colonies, the fear of slaves turning against their masters, and