Constitution in Context - unit 1

Washington supports ban on Black soldiers

• sends them all home

  • says they’re fighting for WHITE freedom

Lord Dunmore’s proclamation

• slaves who help the British will be set free

  • causes slave owners to support revolution

Washington changes his mind

• lets black people who fought before fight in war

  • manipulation tactic to gain leverage

  • neither side cares abt black freedom

Sir Henry Clinton (british general)

• says any Black people helping Americans will be enslaved

british promise

• lived up to their promise and set the enslaved free

northern states & manumission

• started to manumit slaves who fought

manumission

• freeing individual slaves

elizabeth freeman

• freed by court of massachusetts b/c massachusetts law says ppl born in that state are born free

• manumitted

• set precedent for freedom of quock walker

quock walker

• freed by court of massachusetts

• manumitted

1804

• slavery illegal in every Northern state

• state by state law

articles of federation

• fail b/c federal government was too weak

• created a mess btwn states