American Revolution: African Americans

The story of how the original thirteen American colonies broke away from Great Britain and formed the United States is well known. Less well known is how African-Americans felt and what they did during the War of Independence.

Brief history of Lord Dunmore's Proclamation that, in part, promised freedom to slaves who would fight along with the British.

Goodridge, Elisabeth. “For Blacks, There Was No Clear Choice.” U.S. News and World Report, 27 June 2008,

Overview of African Americans' role in the war, for both the British and patriots.

As we know all too well, the Revolutionary War was not fought so that all men could be free, but its role in creating the seeds of abolition should not be forgotten.