African Americans and Slavery Essay

The the Statesn renewal was a metre of great turmoil for all earthly cin one casernpower and wo hands in the United States. majuscule debates came and went during this clock metre knuckle routry and the exemption of grisly men existence the briny problems in these debates. Slaves were used for a great number of things during the American ultra period. The arrival of slavery to the American colonies began in the 1600s and started out in Virginia. As the years passed more(prenominal) and more African-Americans were brought into the colonies to be used as fag formers.The beginning amount of slaves hided to grow and by the beginning of the transformation thither were round 273,000 slaves spread throughout the American states. With the coming of the change all African-Americans, slave or free, k unsanded something was coming and each had a distinguishable response to these comings. in that location were differences in the responses of slaves and free men during the A merican Revolution. There were to a fault consequences to their choices.Gaining freedom in a land of captivity and wresting comparability from a society whose founding documents guarantee it has been the consuming desire and stark(a) hope that has kept harrowed bodies and weary souls going. In the southern states African-American slaves were toughened harsher than those in the north. The plantations down south required back breaking hours of work in the sun that White Americans believed could only be done by those they had bought. There was a reason for them to be there and until they could no longitudinal work they were to do all things imaginable for their owners, no questions asked. around of these slaves vox populi it was easier to rush away from their owners and that in doing so they would book a come about to fight for their country. Slaves could either fell to the north or they could flee to Spanish owned Florida. In cases where a master was called upon to fight, th ey would send a slave in their place and if they lived long enough to return home they clear freedom. Many of the slaves decided that if they had a chance to shit their freedom by get togethering the war effort then they would gladly take their know place.They also believed that with the beginning to the varietyary period would figure out a new deed to the land and when it was over there would no longer be a need for slaves. The consequences for slaves in the south were innumerable. Like many slaves, they took this time to run from slave masters and plantations. If these southern slaves were caught, depending on the owner, the slave could jut out mild to severe consequences. Depending on the demeanor of the owner a slave could be punished in several different ways. Whipping, branding, slapping, being dunked infrawater, and beef were proficient some forms of punishment.The near severe punishments were to cut off a body theatrical role like an ear in the hopes that the sla ve would shoot and never run again. There were also nice slave owners that chose non to punish their slaves. There justification for non punishing their slaves was so that they would continue to work and so that the owner could buy more slaves with the money that they keep to pool in from the work. Because of some owners that continuously harassed majuscule, he stop allowing slaves into his army. But General Washington, fearing irregularlion, created an send that stated that all blacks were non allowed to fight. subsequent he partially reversed the order and allowed only free black men to fight with him. Some slaves believed that taking a chance to flee towards the north was a far-fetched idea. They were seeking freedom in the quickest affirmable way. Lord Dunmore sent out a proclamation that stated in exchange for freedom any black that came to him would fight against the patriots and become a loyalist. Dunmores promise of freedom fueled black slaves to escape and pull do wn some patriots fled to fight as a loyalist. After the war, true to his word, slaves gained their freedom.Some of these newly freed slaves went to Britain only when many of them stayed in the Americas. On the other break free men in the north believed the revolution would bring about change for the better. Their idea of the revolution was that they were being given the chance to gain liberty from with child(p) Britain and also for themselves. It was a defining moment in score that they were to be a part of. Fighting with white men gave these free black men a sense of honor and it also gave them a job where they could earn a little money to project towards getting homes and things of that nature.Men from the north gradually began to realize that they could fight with their brethren and bring independence to the land. General Washington passed an order stating that no black man was allowed into his army. This order came about because of general angst from some slave owners. The se owners believed that there should not be any blacks fighting for the independence because they were only good for being slaves and they would never demand say over anything.After some time Washington, fearing not having enough men to fight against the British, partially reversed this order to allow only free black men. Other than this there were not many consequences that are recorded for free black men. These free men not only fought for the independence of the nation but also for their independence and the independence of other black men and women. African-Americans from the north and south chose to link the continental army because they believed that they should help make the place the lived independent from a tyranny that had no say in the matters of a new country. They matte up that this tyranny could take their rights and place them under unfair rule once again.Some of the freemen and slaves that had started out in the continental army decided to run to the British army but were not successful in their plights. Nash called the revolution the greatest slave ascent in American history because it was just that. The revolution opened up new grounds for slaves to rebel against owners because it was the most opportune time for them to do so. If any group within Americas diversified people came close to answering John Adamss plea that we must all be soldiers, it was black Americans.No part of revolutionary society responded to the call for arms with anywhere near the ardor of those who were black. Proportionate to their number, African American males and some females were more likely to join the fray than white Americans. According to this excerpt from another one of Nashs books, African-Americans were much more adept to answering the plea of John Adams. If there were more African-American fighters than white that meant that more black males were subject to rig themselves in danger in order to gain freedom.They would preferably have one day of freedo m, not knowing if they would die in the close second, hour, or day, than be a slave for the rest of their lives. This is one of the reasons why Nash called the revolution the greatest slave rebellion in American history. Desperate to fill the thinned ranks of its regiments, states offered freedom to serve during the continuance of the sit war with Great Britain. Every black enlistee would be immediately discharged from the service of his master or mistress, and be absolutely free, as if he had never been encumbered with any kind of servitude or slavery. If states were dreadful to have more men come into their ranks then there was cryptograph really stopping slaves from escaping their masters and coming to fight. They all wanted freedom from someone. Slaves wanted freedom from their bonds that were tied to the soil they worked and the Americans wanted freedom from Great Britain. Both groups had their reasons to fight and the only way slaves knew how to become free was to rebel a nd run to an army. This was a time for large rebellions on all fronts not just from the slaves.It was a rebellion against the British from the former colonists and a rebellion against the men and women that were taken from their homes to somehow create new ones. It may have been, as Nash says the greatest slave rebellion in American history, but for most of the rebels it ended like the others, in death. Slaves who supported the American position fared better, but not much better. Only with great reluctance did Washington allow some to join his army. Other Virginians had another wartime use for them.In 1780 the state legislature offered salves as a bounty for enlistment in the war against British tyranny. The revolution did see enactment of measures for gradual license in the northern states, but the number who benefited was small. My view on the American Revolution has changed somewhat because of how the African-Americans were treated during and after the period of war. The Ameri cans act as though they had not been fighting alongside each other and because of this withhold distaste for the blacks.The completely disregard the idea that every man is created adjoin and has certain unalienable rights. They do not extend these ideas that were written down on the Declaration of Independence to the free black Americans. Men that had fought with and under Washington were not looked as the same because the color of their skin and were not given the same rights. Because of how they were treated I see the Revolution more as a war against Britain to save other whites from tyranny rather than to gain independence for all mankind. .of Revolution (Harvard University 2006), 1. 2 . Taymor, . US business relationship Documents. suffer modified 2005.Accessed January 27, 2013. http//inside. sfuhs. org/dept/history/US_History_reader/Chapter2/Nashfighting. pdf. 3 . Taymor, . US History Documents. Last modified 2005. Accessed January 27, 2013. http//inside. sfuhs. org/dep t/history/US_History_reader/Chapter2/Nashfighting. pdf. 4 . Edmund S. Morgan, review of The Unknown American Revolution.