Blacks and the American Revolution

Paper Summary:

The paper examines why blacks, both free and enslaved, served in the American and British forces during the American Revolution and how instrumental their service was in defeating the British. The paper explains how many of them gave their lives in their bid for freedom and recognition as equal citizens and their contributions to both armies were extremely important. The paper concludes that the war won independence, but not for all of them. The paper quotes those who believe that black service in the Revolutionary War ultimately paved the way toward the American Civil War and ultimate freedom from slavery for American blacks.

From the Paper:

"Blacks fought on both sides during the American Revolution for a number of compelling reasons. Many hoped to gain their freedom because of their commitment to their countries, while others felt the need to defend the idea of freedom, even if they did not enjoy it. As historians Emma Nogrady Kaplan and Sidney Kaplan note, "Not all were patriots. As Benjamin Quarles points out in his study The Negro in the American Revolution, the role of the black soldier or sailor in the Revolutionary War 'can best be understood by realizing that his major loyalty was not to a place nor a people, but to a principle'" (Kaplan, and Kaplan 1989, 3)."

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