Paper Summary:

This paper explores African-Americans role in the Revolutionary War. It begins with laws that concerned blacks and firearms as early as 1609. It discusses accounts from actual African Americans and their stories. The paper goes through the process of how blacks were eventually allowed to fight.

From the Paper:

"African-American soldiers were used in the Revolutionary War by both the British and the Americans. It was the British who used them initially, but their example was soon followed by the colonies. It was a slow process on the American side, but all-black units were eventually created. Colonial militias were typically composed of most adult men capable of bearing arms in a community. Originally militias were very inclusive, but as the 17th century neared its end, they became more selective. Indentured servants, free blacks, and slaves were the first to he purged. Virginia led the way among the colonies in excluding blacks from militia service, when the House of Burgesses required in January 1639 that only white Virginians arm themselves. Yet, in a pattern that was to repeat itself into the 18th century, both sides armed slaves and promised them freedom in exchange for military service in 1676 during Bacon's Rebellion. "

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