Now that you have chosen a topic and found some sources, I would like you to submit an outline of your paper. At this point it should be a very basic outline made up of information for your introduct

AFRICAN AMERICANS’ ROLE ON THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

September 9, 2020.

AFRICAN AMERICANS’ ROLE ON THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

Introduction

The European colonies ruled over several states in the United States. During this time, several Americans possessed weapons that were used in different activities but did not engage in fighting for their independence. (Lanning, 2016). Slaves had also been brought from different parts of the world but those from Africa contributed to the highest number of slaves in the region. The slaves were involved in the war between the Americans and the Europeans.

African Americans’ participation in the revolution

The Americans were not contented with the Europeans for several reasons. One of the major reasons was slowing down the growth of local industries in the region. (Ayres, 2003). This increased the need to fight for their independence. The slaves found themselves between two sides: those who supported the Europeans and those who were on the Americans' side. The two sides promised to grant freedom for their involvement in the war.

By the year 1983, thousands of African Americans were involved in the war whereby some gained their freedom after the war while others lost their lives. So that to ensure that the right number of slaves were involved in the fight, the Americans compensated those who owned them so that their master could allow them to take part in the fight. After being freed, some served at the frontline whereby they were given weapons while others served other different roles so that to support the soldiers during the war. However, some people in Yorktown were reluctant to equipping the slaves with weapons. Some of the African Americans such as James Lafayette acted as American spies in the enemy’s army.

African Americans were also involved in fighting for the European army. The reason behind this was that they thought that the Europeans would win the fight so they felt that their freedom was more guaranteed. Some of the slaves joined the side after fleeing from the American masters. The side was also reluctant to arm African Americans although a few were given the weapons and allowed to serve at the front line during the battle.

Conclusion

The Americans won the battle and the African Americans who served were given freedom. However, 50 years later the efforts of the African Americans during the battle was forgotten. This was demonstrated in 1876 during the Centennial Celebration. (Ayres, 2003). No one mentioned anything to do with the efforts put by African Americans in the fight. Those who mentioned their rights were ignored.

References:

Ayres, E. (2003). African Americans and the American Revolution. Historian, American Revolution Museum at Yorktown.

Retrieved from: https://www.historyisfun.org/learn/learning-center/colonial-america-american-revolution-learning-resources/american-revolution-essays-timelines-images/african-americans-and-the-american-revolution/

Lanning, M. L. (2016). African Americans and the American Revolution. In The Routledge Handbook of the History of Race and the American Military (pp. 45-54). Routledge.