how did revolutionary war affect slavery?

Phillis Wheatley

Phillis Wheatley

• celebrated revolutionary war

• learned english, latin, greek

• washington wrote back to her respectfully even though he was a slave owner

• first published woman

• born in senegambia, west africa, transported to boston at 7/8

benjamin banneker

• mathematician and astronomer

• First black civilian employee of the U.S. government

• made almanac based on observations/calculations

• sent t. jeff copy of almanac to prove black people werent inferior to white people, called his hypocrisy out on revolution freedom vs slavery 

Crispus Attucks 

• first died in boston massacre

• showed african americans on us side straight from beginning

• symbol of abolitionist revolutionaries

Absalom Jones + Richard Allen

preachers, founded first african methodist episcopal church to avoid segregation

African Methodist Episcopal Church

in Philadelphia, first african american church

Cyrus Bustill

baker for continental army, created Free African Society

Free African Society

mutual aid society/club that helps people in need

Prince Hall

founded Black FreeMasons, served in continental army

Black FreeMasons

mutual aid society that help rise up socially and economically

What were African Americans' roles in the Revolution?

• soldiers, still slaves, etc

• cooks, laborers, craftsmen, drummers, flag-bearers, couriers and medical assistants.

Which side were African Americans on?

some were on us side, some on british side

African Americans apart of USA side

• washington reluctant to let african americans join, but desperate for capable men

• signed up by owners in their place when drafted

• some joined bc believed in revolution, personal reasons, or skin color

African Americans apart of british side

• dunmore’s proclamation

• fell ill to smallpox, given labor jobs instead of on field (served as support)

• believed british had better argument for liberty

What motivated African Americans in the fight for revolution?

promised freedom after war

Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation

if slaves in Virginia fled and joined the British army, they would be legally freed.

What happened after the war for many of the African Americans that fought in the war?

returned to bondage

Quakers

first abolitionist societies

Anthony Benezette

founder of the antislavery movement in America

Manumission

free self’s slaves

states in Northwest Ordinance

michigan, wisconsin, illinois, indiana, ohio

when was Northwest Ordinance passed

1787

How Northwest Ordinance deals with the issue of slavery

the first time that the expansion of slavery is limited, but slaves already brought there were not affected

American Colonization Society

mainly white people who didn’t want slavery but also thought of african americans as unequal, wanted to send them to Africa

Reactions to american colonization society

• opponents tried to convince gov. for state emancipation acts and measures to prevent kidnapping of free blacks

• few African-Americans supported colonization in the belief that it provided the only alternative to continued discrimination

Who support american colonization society

white/black people who thought they could never live side by side bc of racial prejudice

Who against american colonization society

african americans born in america, thought of america as home, not africa. most opposed colonization

The Liberator

Americans 1^st abolitionist newspaper

William Lloyd Garrison

publisher of the liberator

what states used Immediate emancipation

Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire

when was immediate emancipation enacted

Jan 1 1831

reasons used immediate emancipation

• reasons: illegal, immoral,  economically backwards

  • illegal bc violated declaration of independance

  • immoral bc reduced god to thing and allowed breeding, exploitation, breaking up families

  • economically backward bc deprived of productive skill, no incentive to do diligent work

how was immediate emancipration spread

• newspapers and protests

• used moral suasion- direct appeals to conscience would convince slaveholders that slavery was a moral evil

what states used gradual emancipation

Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey (last northern state to completely abolish, 1846)

details of gradual emancipation

• slave owners could keep enslaved already owned, provide eventual freedom to newly born slaves

  • set ages to when slave could be free (ex. turn 28=free)

  • have end year to slavery (ex. by 18xx)

3/5 compromise

south usa wanted to count slaves as part of population for house of representatives and taxation, but north opposed bc they didnt treat slaves as humans, constitutional convention agreed for every 5 enslaved people, 3 would count towards population

What did Constitutional convention agree to do about the International Slavery Trade

20 year ban on any restrictions on the Atlantic slave trade