Blacks of the Revolution

James Robinson, MA, CSP

Historian, Durkeeville Historical Society

Blacks of the Revolution

Blacks of the Revolution

• Although never numerous, free blacks played an integral part in the American revolution, and in shaping the fledgling Republic.

The Atlantic Slave Trade

The vast majority of Negro slaves imported to the New World went to the Caribbean and South American markets. Only about 7% came to the United States.

Blacks Landing at Jamestown - 1619The first blacks to enter the English colonies were 24 blacks from a Dutch trader at Jamestown, Virginia. They were not slaves, but indentured servants. Many early blacks won their freedom over time. Some became slave owners themselves.

English Colonies in 1776

All 13 English colonies had black slaves. The Southern colonies were more dependent upon them, while Northern colonies had increasing numbers of free blacks.

Crispus AttucksCrispus Attucks was a former slave who won his freedom and became a sailor. In 1770, he started the attack on British soldiers known as the Boston Massacre. He was one of the five instigators who was killed. He became the first black to be buried in a white cemetery, and the first black to have a monument.

Boston Massacre - March 5, 1770A rowdy mob of patriots, led by Crispus Attucks, goad and taunt a British patrol until the nervous British fire on them. Five colonists, including Attucks are killed. The soldiers are tried and acquitted, due to a sterling defense by a young lawyer named John Adams, who would become our second President.

Ride of Paul Revere – April 18, 1775Paul Revere has the poem and the legend, but he really did not awaken anyone except the local Sons of Liberty leaders. That credit goes to four other riders which were hastily sent out. The one that rode north was Wentworth Cheswell, a patriot from New Hampshire. He was a religious leader, an historian, and a surveyor. He was also black. His election as a selectman marks the first time that a black was elected to public office in the Colonies.

Battle of Lexington – April 19,1775The “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” was the opening volley at the Battle of Lexington, where minutemen faced off against British Redcoats. This was the first battle of the American Revolution. Over half of the colonists were black. They had been attending a prayer vigil when the alarm rang out.

Peter SalemPeter Salem was a free black who masterminded the defense of Concord on April 19, 1775. Joining the Continental Army, he was instrumental in rallying troops at the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775. After the battle, he was personally cited for bravery by George Washington.

Battle of Bunker Hill – June 17,1775The Battle of Bunker Hill was a pyrrhic victory for the British, who expected that the colonists would flee at the sight of British Regulars. The colonists put up a stout defense, and made it a very costly victory. Peter Salem can be seen at the right, organizing the American retreat.

George Washington and Billy LeeJames William Lee was George Washington’s slave, personal valet, and best friend. Contemporary portraits like this one always showed them together. Lee was with Washington from his early days as a surveyor, to Trenton, to Valley Forge, and finally to the Presidential Mansion. When Washington died, he freed Lee in his will, and gave him land and a substantial pension, equal to any Revolutionary War veteran.

Prince WhipplePrince Whipple was a member of George Washington’s staff, and self-proclaimed protector. He was emancipated during the War by his owner, General William Whipple, and became attached to Washington. He is portrayed in the famous painting of “Washington Crossing the Delaware”.

Painting – “Washington Crossing the Delaware”

This event happened just before the Battle of Trenton on Dec. 25, 1776. Washington’s daring raid was the first major victory for the Continental Army. The black man on Washington’s right is said to be Prince Whipple.

James ArmisteadJames Armistead was a slave from Virginia. He got permission from his master to volunteer for the Continental Army. He was attached to the staff of the Marquis de Lafayette, and used as a spy. His pose as a runaway slave was so believed by the British that General Cornwallis approached him to spy on the Americans! Armistead becomes the first black double-agent in history, reporting on Cornwallis’ meetings in the evening and feeding false information to Cornwallis during the day. He was finally freed in 1786, with a testimonial from Lafayette himself.

Richard AllenBorn into slavery, Richard Allen bought his own freedom through his fiery and eloquent sermons. He was trained as a Methodist, and founded the African Methodist Episcopalian (AME) church in Philadelphia, the first African-American congregation in the United States. The AME denomination had churches all over the country, even in the South. Allen aided in the defense of Philadelphia during the War of 1812, and his church became an important “depot” on the Underground Railroad.

Benjamin BannekerBenjamin Banneker was a free black that was a noted scientist, astronomer, mathematician, surveyor, and author. He wrote an Almanac that was second only to Benjamin Franklin’s in popularity. His team assisted Pierre L’Enfant in surveying and laying out the new Federal District that would become Washington D.C. Banneker also engaged in a lively correspondence with Thomas Jefferson, challenging his views on blacks as inferiors.

The black President who wasn’t – John Hanson

John Hanson (left above) was one of eight Presidents of Congress that served between the signing of the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution. These men were not, strictly speaking, the President of the United States, since that title would not exist until the Constitution was signed. Nevertheless, they were addressed as “President” and some people think they should be counted as American Presidents. John Hanson was the first of these men to serve a full term as President of Congress, and his only notoriety was a false claim that he was really Swedish instead of American.

In the 1990s, comedian Dick Gregory claimed that the first President of the United States was black, and named John Hanson. Gregory apparently mixed up Maryland’s John Hanson with a member of the Senate of Liberia in the 1850s, also named John Hanson (right above) . This misidentification is also carried on Dick Gregory’s web site.

Blacks as Fighting Men

• Over 6,000 blacks fought for the American side. Most were free blacks, although some Southern slave owners sent slaves instead of enlisting themselves.

• Washington initially opposed black enlistment (he was a slave owner, himself), but as volunteers dried up, he reversed that decision. Eventually, every colony except South Carolina and Georgia sent black companies.

• Blacks fought alongside whites in integrated units. This would be the last time that occurred until the Korean War.

• Washington reported that blacks were “fine fighting men”, personally decorating many soldiers. Despite this recommendation, many black veterans found it hard to get pensions after the war. Most former slaves were freed for their service.

Black Loyalists• In 1775, Lord Dunmore, Royal Governor of Virginia, offered freedom to

any slave who would join the British. Some 25,000 slaves did just that.• This is interesting, since there were 2.5 million slaves at the time. The

vast majority did NOT leave their plantations.• The British used these black volunteers mostly for menial labor, though

some all-black regiments were formed. According to reports, they fought well in several engagements.

• After the war, the British sent some of these troops back to their owners in the South. Some others, they attempted to place in a colony in Nova Scotia. The majority were sent to Africa to a new British colony named Sierra Leone, where their descendants still reside.

In conclusion:• Due to the Revolutionary fervor, some slave owners, like Benjamin Rush

and Edward Rutledge, immediately released their slaves. Others, like George Washington, freed their slaves in their wills.

• Abolition societies, like the Pennsylvania Abolition Society, sprang up, mostly in Northern states. Their efforts would gradually end slavery in the North.

• Blacks made significant and underrated contributions to the founding of America.

• Black fighting men were noted for valor on both sides.• It is time that these contributions were better explained and celebrated!