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The American Revolution was approached
as a mixed blessing by both slave and free
African-Americans. The principles of the revolution
unambiguously implied the end of slavery, but the
revolutionaries never really delivered on that promise
despite severe misgivings. It had been the most ardent
desire of Thomas Jefferson to end slavery with the formation
of the new nation, yet he himself never freed his own
slaves. So in many ways Jefferson is iconic for the American
Revolution as a whole: despite its promise of freedom and
rights, the revolutionaries would not grant to
African-Americans the same foundational rights and equality
that they claimed formed the spirit of the revolution
itself. This double-edged attitude was not lost on
African-Americans, many of whom fought on either side,
believing either the revolutionaries or the British were
more likely to grant freedom to the slaves. |
Crispus Attucks |
The day of March 5, 1770, a Monday, is
the date at which the start of the Revolutionary War is
often dated. That day, in Boston, was a day filled with
problems. Relations between colonists and the British
soldiers were strained and frequently violent; in the days
preceding that Sunday there were numerous tavern brawls and
street fights between colonists and British soldiers and
supporters&emdash;in one incident, three British soldiers
were beaten and driven out of the town, but returned later
with reinforcements. On the icy evening of March 5, a group
of soldiers, having just emerged from their barracks, were
confronted by a small crowd of boys--African Americans, some
Irish, and others. They traded insults with the soldiers and
the two groups began to fight. The Americans, led by the
African American, Crispus Attucks, managed to drive the
British back to the barracks. Someone rang the town bell and
confused Bostonians began to fill the streets. |
The War |
After the Boston Massacre,
African-Americans became an active part of the American
cause, fighting at Concord, Lexington, and Bunker Hill; in
all these engagements, black Americans were prominent in the
fighting. Despite this, when George Washington assumed
command of the Continental Army in July, 1775, he
permanently barred the enlistment of blacks. By November,
Washington had thrown all African-Americans out of the army.
It wasn't until Valley Forge and the large scale desertion
of the Continental Army that Washington was forced by
circumstances to re-think his views and take
African-Americans into his army. |