Black Patriot (American Revolution)
Encyclopedia
A Black Patriot was an African American
who remained loyal to the American side during the American Revolutionary War
. Black Patriots were the opposite of the much larger group of Black Loyalist
s who were African Americans who took up the British offer of freedom and took refuge behind the Redcoat
ranks. Black Patriots includes those (but is not limited to) those 5000 African Americans or more who fought on the Continental Army
during the war.
and the East Coast
to serve in the army.
, Harvard scholar and professor Henry Louis Gates is descended from John Redman, a Free Negro
who served in the Continental Army
. Professor Gates is currently working on a project to find all descendants of Black Patriots who served in the American Revolutionary Continental Army.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
who remained loyal to the American side during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. Black Patriots were the opposite of the much larger group of Black Loyalist
Black Loyalist
A Black Loyalist was an inhabitant of British America of African descent who joined British colonial forces during the American Revolutionary War...
s who were African Americans who took up the British offer of freedom and took refuge behind the Redcoat
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
ranks. Black Patriots includes those (but is not limited to) those 5000 African Americans or more who fought on the Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
during the war.
Blacks who served in the Continental Army
After the British started recruiting African Americans to start serving or assisting the British cause on the promise of freedom, Americans began to recruit free blacks in the New EnglandNew England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
and the East Coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
to serve in the army.
Descendants of Black Patriots
Famed African AmericanAfrican American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
, Harvard scholar and professor Henry Louis Gates is descended from John Redman, a Free Negro
Free Negro
A free Negro or free black is the term used prior to the abolition of slavery in the United States to describe African Americans who were not slaves. Almost all African Americans came to the United States as slaves, but from the earliest days of American slavery, slaveholders set men and women free...
who served in the Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
. Professor Gates is currently working on a project to find all descendants of Black Patriots who served in the American Revolutionary Continental Army.
Sources
- http://www.americanrevolution.org/blk.html
- http://www.americanrevolution.com/AfricanAmericansInTheRevolution.htm
- http://www.americanrevolution.com/AfricanAmericansInTheRevolution.htm
- http://www.seacoastnh.com/blackhistory/patriots.html
- http://www.nysun.com/article/38784
- http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part2/2narr4.html