2.13 African Americans in the American Revolution

Fighting on Both Sides

African Americans, both enslaved and free, served on both sides of the Revolutionary War. Many joined the Continental Army hoping for freedom, promotions, or wages, while others fled to the British, who offered emancipation through initiatives like Dunmore's Proclamation (1775), which promised freedom to enslaved people who joined British forces.

Crispus Attucks and Early Sacrifice

Crispus Attucks, a man of African and Native American descent, was among the first killed in the Boston Massacre (1770), becoming an early symbol of resistance to British rule. His death highlighted Black participation in the broader colonial struggle even before the war officially began.

The Rhetoric and Reality of Freedom

The Revolution's ideals of liberty and equality inspired Black Americans to demand freedom, yet the new nation largely preserved slavery. Some Northern states began gradual abolition after the war, while the Constitution protected slavery through compromises like the three-fifths clause and the fugitive slave clause.

Key terms

Crispus Attucks

A man of African and Native American descent, among the first killed in the Boston Massacre (1770); an early symbol of resistance to British rule.

Dunmore's Proclamation (1775)

A British decree promising freedom to enslaved people who joined British forces during the Revolutionary War.

Motivations for Black Continental soldiers

Hopes for freedom, wages, promotions, or recognition motivated many free and enslaved Black men to join the Continental Army.

Three-fifths clause

A constitutional compromise counting enslaved people as three-fifths of a person for representation and taxation purposes.

Legacy of Revolutionary ideals for Black Americans

The rhetoric of liberty and equality inspired Black demands for freedom, but the Constitution preserved slavery through key compromises.

Try an AP-style question

Lord Dunmore's 1775 Proclamation offered freedom to…

1. free Black farmers in the colonies
2. enslaved people who joined the British
3. every Loyalist living in Virginia
4. soldiers who fought for the Patriots