Slavery in the American Revolution

Slavery in the American Revolution

As history has shown many years back in time, slaves have always existed as something ordinary usually dominated by wealthy people who had power. Found in many cultures such as egyptians, mayans, in this case british and americans that weren't the exception. The difference of slaves and normal men is that they are treated as a property meaning they lacked of freedom and could be sold so they had to do what the boss ordered. In some cases even men like George Washinton who were men of good had 317 slaves at their name, at the age of ten he inherit his first 11 slaves.

It was accepted as normal and applauded as a positive thing by many white Americans but never for black people. On June 19 of 1862 the congress prohibited the slavery in everywhere in the United States. This didn't made the ex-slaves citizens nor the planters were compensated. Planters took at first the iniciative to bring africans as slaves using them mainly at their tabacco plantations. Racism still persisted in a Massachusetts since their the law of 1786 that prohibited white people from legally marrying African Americans, Indians, or even people of mixed race. It was expensive to have slaves since you had to give them a roof, food and take care financially when they got sick. Oliver Ellsworth said it was cheaper to raise a slave than to bring it since the multiplied fastly.

There was a time when slaves had the option to fight and if they won, they would be set free. Around 5,000 slaves served in the Continental army during the Revolution. Some eight hundred slaves joined British forces, some wearing an emblem that said "Liberty to the Slaves." Thurgood Marshall was an important character since he was the first African American to sit on the Supreme Court. Benjamin Franklin who was a former slaveowner and Alexander Hamilton who was born in a slave colony became members of antislavery societies. Nowdays slavery still exists even though it isn't legal.