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Summary Of Dirty Little Secret By Simon Schhama

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In the article “Dirty Little Secret” it is stated by the author, Simon Schama, that “To see the Revolutionary war through the eyes of slaves gives a better understanding of why so many of them fought for the crown”(Schama). Schama argues that African American slaves chose the right decision to join British forces subsequently for their freedom and wellbeing. The three main points that will be discussed in this paper include why the slaves did not want to stay on the American side, why they joined the British side, and also what their lives were like on the British side. There was hope for the slaves that one day they would be free in America, but they knew that day was far away. There was aspiration that the Declaration of Independence would change the American idea of slavery, but at the same time Georgia and South Carolina promised their recruits a free slave at the end of the war. George Washington described a man as a traitor to the rights of humanity for a very odd reason. This man’s name was Denmore, and he was a Brit who promised slaves freedom for their service. It can be concluded that the freedom of slaves was not guaranteed in America, and if they wanted freedom they would need to search somewhere else. …show more content…

But in the end, it was a decision between staying a slave, or fighting for their freedom. The slaves were promised by the British that “In return for their loyal service in the late American war, they were to be granted two gifts of unimaginably precious worth: their freedom and their acres” (Schama). Some of the promises made from the British to the American slaves were unexpectedly betrayed, but the ones that were kept created amazing opportunities. The fulfilled promises gave hope to the slaves for the freedom they had longed for their entire

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