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Fighting for Whose Freedom? Black Soldiers in the American Revolution
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Author: Tina Nelson, Baltimore County Public Schools
Grade Level: Upper Elementary
Duration: 1-2 periods
Overview:

From the 1690s onward, African-Americans have fought in North American wars, including the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War. History shows a pattern of exclusionary laws, designed to deny slaves access to arms, followed by volunteer opportunities and manumission when Britain or America required more recruits for their armies. Using a variety of primary sources, this lesson lets students explore the circumstances under which Black slaves and freedmen fought during the American Revolution. The selected sources show the opportunities for gaining freedom as soldiers for the Continental or British Army. Advertisements and images also show the propaganda campaign fought by White Southerners to prevent their slaves from joining those armies. Finally, students will come to understand that as soldiers, scouts, or spies, African-American men and women were active during the Revolutionary War and fought for the greater goal of freedom from slavery.

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