Slavery During The Revolutionary War

In the time period between 1775 and 1830, African Americans start to gain more freedom in the North while the institution of slavery expanded in the South. These changes occurred due to the existence of different point of views. The North did not need slavery and acknowledge the cons of slavery while the South’s want for slavery quickly became a need.

The Revolutionary War was fought on principles of liberty, freedom, and justice for all - but when the dust had settled, and the Constitution finally agreed upon, the American people still owned slaves. The right to own other people was a cornerstone of American culture, and a major driver of its economy - it was unlikely to simple go away. Ironically, patriots would use a great deal of anti-slavery rhetoric to illustrate their struggle against the British, but in the aftermath of revolution, it became clear that “all men” did not include black men. Slavery, as it is properly understood, is a terrible institution that relies on oppression. Oftentimes, it used brutality and torture to keep productivity high. Such an oppressive system invites

Early in the history of the colonies, slavery was widely accepted as well as applauded. Slaves were a key part in the development of the country and they were a very important part in the revolutionary war. Slaves fought on both sides of the revolution, it is estimated at nearly 5000 thousand men. The American Revolution was very important as it brought about different views and ideas. "In much of the North, by contrast, the combination of Revolutionary sentiment and evangelical Christian fervor helped spread antislavery sentiments widely through society" (Brinkley 120). The American Revolution had a huge impact on Northern states; antislavery movement swept the states. The slave trade was outlawed in several states and laws were changed regarding freeing slaves.

Cotton was the king of the South. It was bringing in large amounts of money as the textile industry in the North grew. Slavery was vital to the economic well-being of the South, and when the North began to question the “peculiar institution” of the South the wall of civility between the two sectionalized areas began to crumble. Due to the growing issue of slavery in the 1850s, the United States of America was in a state of total disarray and turmoil. The tension that had always existed between the North and South over the matter of slavery was no longer ignorable. As the United States expanded to the West, the status of slavery in the new states erupted in a violence that could no longer be controlled by sectionalism. The peace treaties that had worked in the past became Band-Aids over stab wounds. Southern states began to leave the United States of America to form the Confederate States of America and war was declared as the South fired onto the forts of the North. The Civil War was caused directly by the issue of slavery; the fugitive slave act in the Compromise of 1850, Dred Scott v. Sandford, and Bleeding Kansas prove that slavery was the key factor in the eruption of the nation.

Lasting six years, the American Revolution resulted in a significant amount of lives being lost, not only to war but to disease and infection as well (Schultz, 2013). Division among the colonists was felt between those loyal to the cause and the rebels, as well as, the ones that were indifferent to either (Schultz, 2013). Disruptions of daily life resulted because soldiers were away from their homes and families for extended amounts of time and women managed the households, families, and civic life (Schultz, 2013). Additionally, slaves were unsure of their futures because there were no signs of them obtaining freedom (Schultz, 2013).

In 1739 Hutchinson's store was robbed for their ammunition and guns. Two shopkeepers were killed. Plantations were burned down. The African armies destination was Fort Mose. There was 20 men. While marching, they played drums to gain more Africans in their army. Nearly 100 people joined by the Afternoon. They never made it to fort Mose because an armed group caught up to them and the Africans faced a brutal death. South Carolina banned drumming and education for slaves, and made gruesome punishments for runaway slaves because of this incident.

The Revolutionary Era was a time for liberal reformation, independence, and a new found united states. An uprising for freedom from Britain’s tyrannic king swept through the colonies and a fight for independence was making it’s way. However, the war with Britain would be no cake walk for the new found colonies and extra reinforcement was needed. African Americans played major roles during the Revolutionary Era by participating in battles such as Lexington, Bunker Hill, and Yorktown. Some were free African Americans who volunteered to serve in the war, but the majority were slaves not only fighting for the colonies independence, but freedom of their own. Fighting in the war gave slaves the hope of gaining their freedom. As time progressed, the colonies gained their independence from Britain but many African Americans remained enslaved and slavery became the next battle to seek freedom from. In the novel, Black Americans in the Revolutionary Era by Woody Holton, opponents of slavery, including slaves, try to use the rhetoric of the American Revolution to persuade white revolutionaries to oppose slavery. Many African Americans spoke out about slavery being wrong after their major contribution to the Revolutionary war. The documents portrayed in the novel give insights on African American life after the revolutionary war and the difficulty of accepting their freedom into society. If they could not physical fight for their freedom then they began to fight for their freedom

Slave Laws of Colonies in Colonial America Slavery was a very prominent and profitable enterprise during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in colonial America. Many colonies in America, and empires in Europe, used slavery to maximize their profits while growing crops and executing business. Due to its immense profitability, many colonies tried their hardest to perpetuate the slave industry. The ways in which they kept slavery functioning differed depending on location, but for the most part, most colonies attempted to write slavery into their legal code. This was a very effective means of ensuring the continuation of slavery and allowed it to last for several centuries.

The revolutionary passion made Americans rethink the entire idea of slavery as it contradicted the republican principles they were fighting for. John Woolman (1720-1772) was one of the key figures in this fight against this evil institution. In a sermon he declares that “Men having power too often misapplied it” and that he believed that “Liberty was the natural right of all men equally.” In fact the revolutionary period made people rethink the whole concept and they started to criticize slavery not just from a religious perspective. On the other hand, African American, important part of the daily life as well as of the revolution, start demanding for freedom and equality reminding the white Americans that they had too the same natural rights

Throughout history, it has been commonly misconceived that slavery and the abolishment of slavery has been the sole cause of the American Civil War. Whereas the institution of slavery has been a major cause of the war, the differences in ideologies and beliefs between the North and the South also play a role in the origins of the Civil War. The origins of the Civil War can also be attributed to the political, economical, social, and cultural differences between the North and South during the 1800s. The Cornerstone Speech by Alexander Stephens, Vice President of Confederacy, and the Nast’s cartoon of President Lincoln’s inaugural allow historians to gain a deeper understanding about the causes of the Civil War, and also allow historians to learn how the differences between the North and South led to the Civil War.

Following the American Revolution (1775-1781), a new political movement called Republicanism took place. Republicanism was based on the ideology of liberty and equality, where the territory was no longer ruled by monarchy or aristocracy. The people were at the core of the Republicanism. The problem was finding balance within the social order of the population and their properties. African Americans used this movement as the reason why they should be treated as equal to others and have the same rights. How could slavery match with the concept of liberty? The concept of freedom, while enslaving others, was in fact a contradiction. While northern states started to prohibit slavery, the feeling of racism and diversity still persisted. Contrarily,

Slavery was one of the biggest controversies in American history. The beliefs about slavery mostly varied from the North to the South but also varied from state to state and sometimes even among family members. All of these different views caused conflicts to arise in America and slavery soon became a huge contributing factor to the Civil War.

Slavery, in which lower class people are treated as property legally but by force, has been a serious issue in human history for thousands of years regardless of culture differences. During the antebellum period, North America abolished slavery of the black, whereas the south violently opposed to abolition no matter how inhuman it is since the south was on foreign trade and slaves provided the labor needed to support the economy. According to different information sources, society treated black people as the salve. For instance, white people have higher social status than the black due to black people are the slavery before the civil war. This attitude expressed towards people of color has changed because black

American slavery was something that was not only mentally challenging, but it was physically demanding as well. Many slaves did not have the luxury of a “kind” master, and many were mistreatment from birth. Slaves fought masters, and master fought slaves without regard to the human condition. Antebellum slavery was different than past forms of American slavery, because slaves had gained a taste of the ideas that were spread from the American Revolution. These idea played a big role in slaves wanting freedom, and doing anything to get it. Antebellum slavery, if it were defined in three simple words, would be categorized as; misleading, ruthless, and resistance. I have chosen these three words, because they give the essence of antebellum slavery, and show the underlying theme of the time period.

During the American fight for freedom, another voice was begging for it too. Slaves came by the thousands on boats that shipped them to America. They were kidnapped from Africa, their home, and brought here to be sold. Slaves had no rights, no voice. They treated however the Master might want, and if caught running away, they would be punished severely. Families were torn apart with no thought from the seller. Although some whites protested against auctioning, the slave trading system was already quite settled. It is strange that powerful speakers (like Patrick Henry) who spoke against Britain or demanded freedom for themselves still owned slaves. In a law concerning the population, Congress decided to count each slave as ⅗ of a person.