Black Patriot
Black Patriots were African Americans who sided with the colonists who opposed British rule during the American Revolution. The term Black Patriots includes, but is not limited to, the 5,000 or more African Americans who served in the Continental Army and Patriot militias during the American Revolutionary War.[1]
Their counterparts on the pro-British side were known as Black Loyalists, African Americans who sided with the British during the American revolution. Thousands of American slaves escaped to British lines to take up their offers of freedom in exchange for military service as per Dunmore's Proclamation and the Philipsburg Proclamation.
First Patriot martyr
Black Patriots who served in the state militias
The
Black Patriots who served in the Continental Army
After the British started enticing enslaved African Americans to serve or assist their cause in exchange for emancipation, Patriot leaders began to recruit free people of color in New England and other East Coast regions to serve in the Continental Army. They were promised a life of relative luxury and social mobility if they joined the war. Slaves in the American North were trying to escape harsh treatment of their servitude. By joining the war, they believed they would be bettering their lives. Most of the time, Black Patriot soldiers served as individuals in a variety of predominantly white units of the Continental Army.
The
Captain David Humphreys' All Black, 2nd Company, of the Connecticut Continental Line, served from October 1780-November 1782. On November 27, 1780, Humphrey's Black Company was assigned to the 3rd Connecticut Regiment. On January 1, 1781, the Regiment was merged with the 4th Connecticut Regiment, re-organized into nine companies, and re-designated as the 1st Connecticut Regiment.
William "Billy" Lee was an enslaved valet of George Washington who served in the Continental Army and fought with the general's forces. Lee was considered to be Washington's favorite slave, and was often featured in the background of the general's portraits.[6]
Descendants
Famed African American,
Proposed national memorial
The National Liberty Monument is a proposed
Congress authorized the National Liberty Monument in January 2013. On September 8, 2014, the
Notable Black Patriots
- Prince Hall
- Toby Gilmore
- Alexander Ames
- Crispus Attucks
- Charles Bowles
- Jeffrey Brace
- Joseph Brown
- Seymour Burr
- Wentworth Cheswell
- Titus Coburn
- Joseph Louis Cook
- Grant Cooper
- Oliver Cromwell
- Paul Cuffee
- Austin Dabney
- James Armistead Lafayette
- Caesar Dickenson
- Charlestown Eaads
- James Easton
- Prince Estabrook
- William Flora
- Asaba Grosvenor
- Blaney Grusha
- Jude Hall
- Primus Hall
- Cuff Haynes
- Lemuel Haynes
- Henry Hill
- Cato Howe
- Agrippa Hull
- Jeremy Jonah
- Lambert Latham
- Cato Mead
- Jack Little
- Barzillai Lew
- Jack Peterson (American Patriot)
- Salem Poor
- James Robinson
- Silas Royal
- Peter Salem
- Prince Simbo
- Phillis Wheatley
- Prince Whipple
- Bosson Wright
See also
Bibliography
- Guthrie, James M. Camp-fires of the Afro-American; Or, The Colored Man as a Patriot, Soldier, Sailor, and Hero, in the Cause of Free America, 1899
- Moore, George Henry. Historical notes on the employment of Negroes in the American Army of the Revolution, 1862 [1]
- Nell, William Cooper. The Colored Patriots of the American Revolution, With Sketches of Several Distinguished Colored Persons: To Which Is Added a Brief Survey of the Condition And Prospects of Colored Americans. Boston: Robert F. Wallcut, 1855.
- Wilson, Joseph Thomas. The Black Phalanx: A History of the Negro Soldiers of the United States in the Wars of 1775-1812, 1861-'65, 1890
References
- ^ White, Deborah; Bay, Mia; Martin Jr., Waldo E. (2013). Freedom on My Mind: A History of African Americans. Boston: Bedford St. Martin's. pp. 124–127.
- ^ Thomas O'Connor, The Hub, Northeastern University Press, p. 56.
- ^ White (2013). Freedom on My Mind. p. 124.
- ^ White (2013). Freedom on My Mind. pp. 149–150.
- ^ "THE FIRST RHODE ISLAND". AncientGreece-Early America. Archived from the original on 3 July 2007.
- ^ White, Deborah Gray (2013). Freedom on My Mind: A History of African Americans. New York: Bedford/St.Martins. pp. 152–153.
- ^ "H.J.Res. 120 - All Actions". United States Congress. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
- ^ Marcos, Cristina (8 September 2014). "House authorizes location for American Revolution memorial in D.C." The Hill. Retrieved 9 September 2014.