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Slavery: The American Revolution

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The American Revolution was a time of great social, political, and economic changes. Influenced by Enlightenment ideals, the American Revolution sang promises of independence, freedom, and liberty, all of which are fundamental components of the foundation of American identity. During the Revolution, many blacks, as both freedmen and slaves, fought alongside many of the colonists and loyalists, fighting on both sides of the war for much of the same values. However, while examining this time period, it is important to acknowledge the inescapable paradox that stains our country’s history: how does a society so motivated by liberty and freedom allow an institution like slavery to exist? Despite the rhetoric of the Revolution, many Americans continued …show more content…

One such soldier was Thomas Peters. Peters was a slave who was captured in 1760 from what is now known as present day Nigeria. The royal governor of Virginia, Lord Dunmore, declared a proclamation in November 1775 that issued freedom to any American slave or indentured servant who was willing to escape and fight for the British. Considering this, the American revolution could be referred to as the first large scale slave rebellion in North America. For every one black man fighting for the colonists, there were 20 on the opposite side, fighting for the British (Nash 20). Despite fighting on different sides, Hull and Peters shared the same goal: to attain freedom and …show more content…

Robert Beverly wrote privately that he believed slavery to be “something so contradictory to human nature,” and he confesses he is “ashamed of my Country whenever I consider of it” (Davis, The Problem of Slavery in the Age of the Revolution 169). There was also a governor, named Francis Fauquier, who had expressed his doubts in slavery. In his will, he wrote about his fear of his slaves condemning him on the Day of Judgement: “For with what face can I expect mercy from an offended God, if I have not myself shewn mercy to these dependant on me” (Davis, The Problem of Slavery in the Age of the Revolution 169). A physician and reformer named Benjamin Rush from 1760s conceded that “It would be useless for us to denounce the servitude to which the Parliament of Great Britain wishes to reduce us, while we continue to keep our fellow creatures in slavery just because their color is different from ours” (Davis Inhuman Bondage

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