Why were enslaved african americans not alowed to fight in the revolutionary war?

Answer 1

As has already been noted, some African Americans did fight in the American army during the revolutionary war. But the overall commander of the army, George Washington, among others, vigorously opposed arming enslaved African-Americans.

Slavery had existed a long time in British North Amerca; all thirteen colonies recognized slavery, not just the southern ones. There were a higher precentage of Africans and African-Americans in the United States in during the Revolutionary War period than there has been since then.

But as somebody else argued, slaveowners did not want to see their slaves armed. They feared that arming slaves would lead to an insurrection against slavery and the slavery masters. This was particulary true in the southern colonies which had the highest precentage of enslaved people. And yes, as noted by somewhere else, one of the justifications for slavery had long been the argument "blacks were inferior."

So while a few black soldiers fought with the colonists, they were not able to join the principal army commanded by Washington.

Far more enslaved African-Americans supported the British. Particularly during the Cornwallis campaign in Virginia, many enslaved people fled to the British army and accompanied it on its march. The British relocated a lot of them to Canada after the war. Also, after the war, many American slaveholders were bitter the the British never paid them for these slaves they liberated.

Answer 2

They were not considered as capapble of being good soldiers by the white establishment. Blacks were considered childlike in their mental abilities according to the common wisdom of the time.

Also, I'm not sure the good folks from South Carolina were too hot on the idea of a couple thousand ex slaves running around their colony with guns.

Answer 3

by way of fact the stream to end slavery grew to become into quickly gathering %. in the process the British Empire, yet another 40 two years at that factor and that they have been emancipated, 1820 everywhere in the united kingdom and the slave commerce abolished. u . s . a . necessary to maintain the slave commerce going as long as achieveable to wipe out the Indians and build the railways and infrastructure; making slaves combat to proceed to be slaves interior the call of 'freedom' grew to become into classic early spin doctoring!

Answer 4

Slaves were prisoners to their masters. If they were allowed to fight then they would be freed and they wouldnt help the South, they would join the North, which would not be helpful to the south at all. they were also needed to cocntinue the economy, to pick the cotton, for export. The North allowed blacks to fight because they werent slaves. once the slaves were freed, because of them were indentured servants, then they fought fo r the North.

Answer 5

We didn't have slaves during the revolutionary war.