In the Service of King or Country
Efforts by African Americans to organize resistance to the Revolutionary movement by taking up arms or fighting for the British met fierce and swift retaliation in Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina in 1775-1776. The quest for freedom was undiminished, but greater caution and calculation had to be exercised. Moreover, not all African Americans sided with the British. Many rallied to the American cause. Indeed, freed slaves appear to have had a greater propensity for joining the Continental Line or state militias than joining the British army. Slaves, on the other hand, flocked to the British, in part because of the Patriots' misgivings about arming them, and too because the British seemed to offer the better chance for freedom. In either case, African Americans provided significant manpower to both sides in the Revolutionary struggle.
War's end brought further gain to blacks. To the slave soldier who had borne the responsibilities of citizenship before he could enjoy its rights, it brought freedom and in some instances, a land bounty. In New Jersey, slaves belonging to the Loyalists were freed by an act of the legislature.
Crispus Attucks
Crispus was a runaway slave who was part African American and part Indian. On the night of March 5, 1770, Crispus was in a large crowd that had gathered around a soldier stationed at the Boston customhouse. The crowd accused the soldier of using the butt of his musket on a boy who uttered a slur about a British officer. The British soldier loaded his gun, backed up the steps, and called for help. British reinforcements arrived, and the crowd grew rowdier. Crispus knocked the soldier's gun away and hit him over the head with a club. The rest of the soldiers fired into the crowd, killing Crispus and two others. Another eight were wounded. This revolt was known as the Boston Massacre.
Peter Salem
Peter Salem was granted his freedom so he could enlist to fight for the Patriots' cause during the American Revolution. In the 1775 Battle of Bunker Hill, he became a hero. He killed British Army Major Pitcairn (first name unknown) and was brought before General George Washington for his heroism. He also participated in the battles at Lexington, Saratoga, and Stony Point.
Phyllis Wheatley
Phyllis was a slave owned by the Wheatley family of Boston. She was taught to read and write. In 1770 she published her first poem and three years later she published her first book of poems. Phyllis Wheatley was the first African American to publish a book, giving her international fame. Her poems were about tyranny and freedom, but she also wrote poems about people. She wrote a poem praising George Washington. George Washington loved the poem and wanted it published. However, he felt that if he had it published, people would misconstrue his purpose in doing so. In April 1778, Phyllis married John Peters, a prominent African American. She continued to write poems until the day she died at the age of thirty-one.
Felton
Felton was an African American from Surry County, North Carolina who participated in the Battle of Moores Creek. Felton served under Captain William Sheppard and Colonel Joseph Williams. He guarded prisoners and disarmed the Loyalists in the aftermath of the battle. Whether Felton was his first or last name is unknown. He is believed to have been a free slave because of some of the military duties assigned to him.
Isaac Hammond
Isaac Hammond, a free black, was a barber in the Fayetteville, North Carolina community. He served honorably in the 10th Regiment of the NC Continental Line during the American Revolution. Shortly after the Fayetteville Independent Light Infantry was organized in 1793, Isaac Hammond became the first Company Fifer. He was buried, with full military honors, at the Old Parade Grounds on the banks of Cross Creek in Fayetteville.
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