African Americans In The Revolutionary War

Lt. Col. (Ret.) Michael Lee Lanning

• Publisher: Citadel Press
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN: 9780806541167
• eBook ISBN: 9780806541693
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Early American History
• Index: History

“A thorough, long-overdue study of Black Americans’ contributions during the War of Independence. . . . An important piece of American and African American history.”
—Kirkus Reviews
 
In this enlightening and informative work, military historian Lt. Col. Michael Lee Lanning (ret.) reveals the little-known, critical, and heroic role African Americans played in the American Revolution, serving in integrated units—a situation that would not exist again until the Korean War—more than 150 years later . . .
 
At first, neither George Washington nor the Continental Congress approved of enlisting African Americans in the new army. Nevertheless, Black men—both slave and free—filled the ranks and served in all of the early battles. Black sailors also saw action in every major naval battle of the Revolution, including members of John Paul Jones’s crew aboard the Bonhomme Richard. At least thirteen Black Americans served in the newly formed U.S. Marine Corps during the war.
 
Bravery among African Americans was commonplace, as recognized by their commanders and state governments, and their bravery is recorded here in the stories of citizen Crispus Attucks at the Boston Massacre; militiaman Price Esterbrook at Lexington Green; soldier Salem Poor at Bunker Hill; and marine John Martin aboard the brig Reprisal.
 
As interest in colonial history enjoys renewed popularity due to works like Hamilton, and the issues of prejudice and discrimination remain at the forefront of our times, African Americans in the Revolutionary War offers an invaluable perspective on a crucial topic that touches the lives of Americans of every color and background.
 

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Author to Reader
• 1 - African American Heroes of the Revolution
• 2 - Pre-Revolution Colonial America
• 3 - On The Verge of Revolution
• 4 - “Enlist No Stroller, Negro, or Vagabond”
• 5 - “Liberty to Slaves”—Lord Dunmore’s Ethiopian Regiment
• 6 - Opening the Ranks
• 7 - Segregated Freedom Fighters: All-Black Units
• 8 - Service at Sea: U.S. Navy and Marine Corps
• 9 - Daily Military Life During the Revolution
• 10 - Behind the Lines
• 11 - Great Britain and African Americans
• 12 - Black Men in Red Coats
• 13 - The Fate of the Black Loyalists
• 14 - Abolition and the Revolution
• 15 - The Assessment: Numbers, Influence, Results
• Appendix A - Important Dates in African American Participation in the Revolutionary War
• Appendix B - Slave Codes
• Appendix C - Estimated American (White and Black) Population: 1760, 1770, 1780
• Appendix D - Estimated Black Population: 1760, 1770, 1780
• Appendix E - The Deleted Clause of the Declaration of Independence
• Appendix F - Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation
• Appendix G - A Letter from Alexander Hamilton to John Jay Recommending Arming Slaves in South Carolina and Georgia
• Appendix H - The Rhode Island Slave Enlistment Act (February 14, 1778)
• Appendix I - The Rhode Island Assembly Protest Against Enlisting Slaves (February 14, 1778)
• Appendix J - General Henry Clinton’s Proclamation
• Appendix K - British Impressment of African Americans: Letter from Sir James Wright to Lord George Germain (His Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State)
• Appendix L - British Army Command Instructions for the Office Established to Receive the Pay of Negroes Employed in Different Departments (South Carolina, 1781)
• Appendix M - Lord Dunmore’s Letter to Sir Henry Clinton (February 2, 1782)
• Appendix N - Official Notes on Conference Between General George Washington and Sir Guy Carleton (Orangetown, New York, May 6, 1783)
• Appendix O - The Northwest Ordinance ( July 13, 1787)
• Appendix P - The U. S. Constitution and African Americans (1787)
• ABOUT THE AUTHOR
• Sources
• Notes