African Americans and Slavery Essay

The American whirling was a snip of capital turmoil for every(prenominal) manpower and women in the United States. Great debates came and went during this condem body politic buckle downry and the liberty of black men existence the main problems in these debates. Slaves were employ for a great number of things during the American whirlingary extent. The arrival of slavery to the American colonies began in the 1600s and started out in Virginia. As the years passed more and more blacks were brought into the colonies to be used as labor workers.The beginning amount of slaves go along to grow and by the beginning of the revolution in that location were rough 273,000 slaves spread throughout the American states. With the glide path of the revolution both African-Americans, slave or unornamented, knew roughthing was approach and each had a different response to these comings. in that location were differences in the responses of slaves and eject men during the Amer ican whirling. thither were carewise consequences to their choices.Gaining liberty in a institute of captivity and wresting equateity from a society whose insane asylum documents guarantee it has been the consuming desire and everlasting hold that has kept harrowed bodies and weary souls going. In the southern states African-American slaves were treated harsher than those in the trade union. The plantations down south needed back breaking hours of work in the fair weather that White Americans believed could provided be d mavin by those they had bought. thither was a reason for them to be in that respect and until they could no longer work they were to do all told things imaginable for their owners, no questions asked.Some of these slaves thought it was easier to mellow out away from their owners and that in doing so they would pass a circumstances to struggle for their country. Slaves could either flee to the north or they could flee to Spanish owned Florida. In cases where a chieftain was c totallyed upon to fight, they would send a slave in their straddle and if they lived long enough to rescue home they earned exemption. Many of the slaves decided that if they had a chance to plus their freedom by connection the war effort then they would gladly plight their get the hang place.They also believed that with the beginning to the revolutionary period would bring a new deed to the country and when it was over at that place would no longer be a need for slaves. The consequences for slaves in the south were innumerable. manage many anformer(a)(prenominal) slaves, they took this time to occur from slave masters and plantations. If these southern slaves were caught, depending on the owner, the slave could suffer flabby to severe consequences. Depending on the demeanor of the owner a slave could be punished in several(prenominal) different ways. Whipping, branding, slapping, being dunked underwater, and kicking were just about forms of punishment.The most severe punishments were to cut off a body cancel like an ear in the hopes that the slave would learn and never run again. There were also nice slave owners that chose non to punish their slaves. There justification for not punishing their slaves was so that they would continue to work and so that the owner could deprave more slaves with the m championy that they continued to pool in from the work. Because of some owners that continuously harassed majuscule, he stop allowing slaves into his armament. But General working capital, fearing ascension, created an read that stated that all blacks were not allowed to fight.Later he part turn 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 possible way. Lord Dunmore direct out a proclamation that stated in exchange for freedom any black that came to him would figh t against the patriots and be go down a loyalist. Dunmores promise of freedom fueled black slaves to escape and even some patriots fled to fight as a loyalist. After the war, true up to his word, slaves gained their freedom.Some of these newly freed slaves went to Britain that many of them stayed in the Americas. On the other hand 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 precondition the chance to gain liberty from Great Britain and also for themselves. It was a defining moment in business relationship that they were to be a part of. Fighting with duster men gave these free black men a sense of honor and it also gave them a telephone line where they could earn a little money to dress towards getting homes and things of that nature.Men from the north gradually began to exonerate that they could fight with their brethren and bring independence to the land. General Washington pa ssed an order stating that no black man was allowed into his army. This order came about because of general angst from some slave owners. These 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 convey posit 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. former(a) 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 only if also for their independence and the independence of other black men and women. African-Americans from the north and south chose to marijuana cigarette the Continental army because they believed that they should help make the place the lived independent from a one-man get hold that had no say in the matters of a new country. They felt 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 rebellion in American fib because it was just that. The revolution opened up new grounds for slaves to rebel against owners because it was the most ripe time for them to do so. If any group at bottom Americas diversified people came ending to reply John Adamss plea that we moldiness all be soldiers, it was black Americans.No part of revolutionary society responded to the call for arms with anywhere near the enthusiasm of those who were black. Proportionate to their number, African American males and some females were more likely to join the call off 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 govern themselves in danger in order to gain freedom.They would preferably have one day of freedom, not knowing if they would die in the next 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 learn the thinned ranks of its regiments, states offered freedom to serve during the continuance of the indicate war with Great Britain. Every black military recruit 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 desperate to have more men come into their ranks then there was nothing really filet slaves from escaping their masters and coming to fight. They all wanted freedom from someone. Slaves wanted freedom from their bo nds 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 and 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 interpreted 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 side fared better, but not much better. Only with great waver 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 formula of measures for gradual emancipation in the northern st ates, 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 Americans deed of conveyance as though they had not been fighting on base each other and because of this withhold distaste for the blacks.The completely disregard the idea that every man is created equal and has certain unalienable rights. They do not flow these ideas that were written down on the Declaration of emancipation to the free black Americans. Men that had fought with and under Washington were not looked as the same because the color of their shin 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 History Documents. Last change 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/dept/history/US_History_reader/Chapter2/Nashfighting. pdf. 4 . Edmund S. Morgan, review of The Unknown American Revolution.