The American Revolution and Slavery - Essay Example

The American Revolution and Slavery When the United s declared its independence in 1776, the slave population had grown to 500,000, about one fifth of the new nations inhabitants. Slave owning and slave trading were accepted routines of colonial life. Advertisements announcing the sale of slaves and seeking the return of runaways filled colonial newspapers. Some researchers suggest that the American Revolution was the first aspect of the movement to free the slaves. This was the beginning of what would later become the Civil War (Miller, 2007, 1). Many of the slaves came from West Africa and the Caribbean and they were bought into the 15 colonies of the southern states (Doak and Olwell 72). The slaves were brought to the colonies in order to work on rice farms, tobacco farms or other agricultural products. The slaves were skilled in agriculture and they understood how to work the fields, but it was still difficult work. The worst areas for slaves were in Georgia and South Carolina (Doak and Olwell 73). 1. Treatment of Slaves Prior to the Revolution Slaves were made to stand in high heat and worked the rice fields. Slaves also stood in water to weed and hoe the field. They were also responsible for keeping birds away from the rice. This was a very grueling existence and it was not something they could do in their leisure. There as a planting season and they were pushed to complete the rice harvesting by the early part of the winter so that in the late part of the winter the rice could be shipped to Europe (Doak and Olwell 75). If the slaves were in South Carolina, they worked under a "task" system. They would have to work in the fields all day and then they could tend to their families and to their own gardens. If slaves had other skills like carpentry or crafts, they could avoid the fields and be hired out to do these trades (Doak and Olwell 76). Slaves were considered property instead of human beings. They were "kept" in small cabins that were run down. The slave owners did not give them furniture nor did they provide good food for them. They were given small amounts of food that often included rice, butter, salt and molasses (Doak and Olwell, 77). These situations were the backdrop of slavery and it would continue for many years. 2. The Outbreak of the American Revolution On April 19, 1775 the American Revolution officially began at Lexington and Concord Massachusetts. The war was fought to gain independence for the 13 colonies that made up the South at that time. (Doak and Olwell 98). Ironically, the colonists believed that if they did not fight, they may be come the slaves of Britain ("Digital History" 2009). The colonists and the British believed that slaves would be an important part of saving the colonies. They promised that any slaves that chose to fight would be given their freedom afterwards. Approximately 800 slaves joined the revolution because of this promise. 3. Slavery during the Revolution The irony of the slave trade during a time when the slave owners were fighting for their freedom did not go unnoticed. Each of the 13 colonies had slaves and the business of slavery was important not only to their economy but also to their social structure. Without slaves, the colonies would not have been able to export their products. The business of slavery produced indigo, rice and tobacco crops. This also made sure that the colonies had large profits from the sale of their goods (U.S. Department of the Interior). Lord Dunmore, the governor of the colonies, decided that it would be better to have the slaves working in the war so that the slave owners would not be as vulnerable as he saw them. Dunmore declared that any slave that would fight against the enemy would be freed. These troops were coined, "The Ethiopian Brigade" and sent to fight the British. They were prominently featured in "The Battle of the Great Bridge" and were successful at driving the British and Dunsmore from Virginia (U.S. Department of the Interior). Slaves were a part of every battle form that point on. They were approximately five percent of the soldiers at The Battle of Bunker Hill. In the South, they would serve in their own ranks but in New England they would serve in integrated units. These men, whether they were free blacks or slaves, were fighting for the freedom of the country. They were not treated as well as their white counterparts but they were important to the Revolution; approximately 5,000 soldiers whether free or slaves, fought (U.S. Department of the Interior). Unfortunately, the idea of armed slaves frightened the slave owners and other whites during this time and the colonists were threatened by their own fears of slave revolt. The Virginia Convention took the first stand against freeing slaves in this manner and made their own declaration that promised death to "all Negro or other slaves, conspiring to rebel or make insurrection" (Selig 4) which came with an ultimatum: If the runaway slaves came back to their slave owners within a ten day period, they would not be punished, but if they were caught fighting, they would be captured and sold in the West Indies (Selig 4). The South slave owners were the most threatened by their slaves becoming soldiers. In fact, many refused the $1,000 payment that Congress had agreed to pay slave owners who sent their slaves to fight. This meant that African Americans from the North who were slaves or free men would be the ones who would fight for the patriotic cause (U.S. Department of the Interior). The challenge for the American armies was that many of the states were not able to fill their quotas of 10,200 men, so The Militia Act was passed in order to gain the recruits needed. The act stated that anyone who was free, hired as servants or who were apprentices, who were between the ages of 16 and 50 had were to report to fight in the war whether they went willingly or were forced into it (Selig, p. 6). The reason that most slaves fought during this time was because freedom was the most important idea on their minds. This meant that slaves would fight on the side of the army that promised them the most personal freedoms. Many slaves fought for the British because they were recruited and encouraged to leave their slave masters (PBS online). In 1775, George Washington banned slaves from being recruited for service in the army. Many researchers suggest that this was short sighted on Washingtons part because many slaves had already been successful in other battles. Also, this allowed slaves to be recruited to fight against the Patriots because Lord Dunsmore was offering the freedom that slaves wanted (PBS online). By 1777 and 1778, many of the soldiers in Washingtons Army had died, disserted or were too sick to fight; it was at this point that Washington had to change his mind about recruiting slaves. At this point, many slaves were sent in the place of white men by the Southern slave owner which was something that was common during this time. Slaves had no choice but to be part of the army and some would say they were freemen in order to get in and possibly gain their freedom. Again, Virginian legislators felt that the recruitment of slaves was getting out of hand, so they amended the Militia Act "forbidding any recruiting officers within this Commonwealth to enlist any negro or mulatto into the service of this, or either of the United States, until such Negro shall produce a certificate ... that he is a freeman" (Selig 7). This declaration meant that slaves would have to become more inventive to get into the army with this certificate. 4. Famous Slave Soldiers Blacks fought in many of the major battles during the American Revolution including Valley Forge, Monmouth, and Charleston to name a few (Selig, p. 7). According to historical record, there were many slaves who became famous during the American Revolution. Colonel Ty fought for the British and led the Black Brigade through many significant battles. He was an escaped bondman and fought mostly in Monmouth County where he was born. He led the soldiers to assist in freeing slaves, capturing Patriots and doing any other act that would create problems for the Patriots (PBS online). Another slave, Boston King fought alongside the British, although he initially became sick with smallpox and survived; he later would fight for the Patriots and then was kidnapped by the British to sell back into slavery; he was able to escape and go back to the Patriot army (PBS online). James Armistead was sent as a servant to the Marquis de Lafayette by his master, William Armistead. Lafayette decided that it was more auspicious to send Armistead into spy on Cornwallis who was the British commander. In doing so, Lafayette was able to thwart Cornwallis advancement and to eventually win the battle at Yorktown (Selig 12). Those soldiers who fought for freedom never received their freedom. Many were sent back into slavery in the Caribbean and other were not permitted to leave with the British from ports in Savannah and Charleston and according to Martha Washingtons account; they never received the freedom that they were promised (PBS online). In 1772, the British and the Patriots were able to sign a treaty that would tentatively give the colonists their independence. When this happened, many colonists wanted their property returned as the British left their country; this included their slaves. Quick action and thinking by Sir Guy Carleton, the acting commander of the British army, "The Book of Negroes" was created. This book allowed passage of slaves who had fought in the war for the British to be escorted to freedom in Nova Scotia, Jamaica and Britain through boarding ships in New York (PBS online). 5. Conclusion Slavery was a very important aspect of the American Revolution because it created an opportunity for the South to export crops to other parts of the country and abroad. It was not a great opportunity for slaves. In fact, many of them died at the hands of their slave owners if they became runaways or did not do what they were told. The only opportunity for freedom for slaves at that time was to join the American Revolution and fight for either the British or the Patriot side; at first, the British offered the most opportunity for freedom. The challenge was that neither the British nor the Patriots (Americans) would free slaves on a large scale. It would actually take the Civil War and a new president to eventually give freedom to slaves. Works Cited Digital History. "The American Revolution and Slavery". 19 November 2009. Digital History. 15 November 2009. < http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/ article_display.cfm?HHID=72>. Doak, Robin and Olwell, Robert. South Carolina 1540-1776. DC: National Geography Society. 2007. Miller, Charles. "The American Revolution and Slavery". 2007. 17 November 2009. . PBS Online. "The Revolutionary War: Africans in America, Part 2." 1999. 17 November 2009. . Selig, Robert. "The Revolutions Black Soldiers". n.d. 17 November 2009. < http://www.americanrevolution.org/blk.html>. U.S. Department of the Interior. "Stories from the Revolution: African Americans in the Revolutionary Period". 04 December 2008. 15 November 2009. http://www.nps.gov/revwar/about_the_revolution/african_americans.html. Read More