Roles of African Americans and Indigenous people in Revolut

Roles in the Revolutionary War

Native Americans and African Americans

Thurgood Marshall

First African American Supreme Court Justice (1967). Won 29 out of 32 court cases as an Attourney. Promoted racial equality during civil rights movement.

Multiple Choice

The author of the New Jim Crow is who?

• Ibram X. Kendi

• Michelle Alexander

• Carter Woodson

• Olaudah Equiano

Summary Objective

Students will describe the roles that slavery, Native nations and African Americans played in the Revolutionary War.

Fighting for Freedom

Free and enslaved people used the language of the Revolution to argue for their own rights. African American and Indigenous participation in the war was largely in pursuit of freedom rather than loyalty to a particular side.

Multiple Choice

What happened to the institution of slavery after the American Revolution?

• It was reestablished by the first American Police force

• It was reestablished by Jim Crow Laws

• Slavery continued after the American Revolution

• It was dismantled following the Revolution and slaves were set free

Fighting for Freedom

Many Native nations fought in the Revolutionary War on both sides, while others tried to remain neutral. Disagreements about the Revolution split the Iroquois Confederacy. Most nations allied with the British because they hoped to end further colonial encroachment.

Broken Promises

 Black soldiers participated in the early Revolutionary battles of Lexington, Concord and Bunker Hill, but General George Washington opposed including them in the Continental Army.

Multiple Select

What would be the prime reason(s) that African Americans joined the British rather then the Americans in the American Revolution? Select all that apply.

• Declaring their own independence because it was not guaranteed with the American Colonists

• A British win possible meant the end to the institution of slavery

• George Washington's lack of willingness to let Blacks serve in his army

• Freedom was more likely with the American colonies

Iroquois Confederacy Split

• Onondaga (British)

• Mohawk (British)

• Seneca (British)

• Cayuga (British)

• Oneida (Americans)

• Tuscarora (Americans)

The Continental Army

After the British offered freedom to Black men, Washington relented. He raised a black regiment to reinforce the Continental Army, and thousands of Black men fought in the Continental Army or at sea.

Multiple Choice

Which tribes from the Iroquois Confederacy allied with the Americans during the Revolution?

• Oneida and Mohawk

• Oneida and Tuscarora

• Oneida and Seneca

• Oneida and Onondaga

Choosing a Side

The British actively recruited free and enslaved Black men. Though the British promised freedom in return for service, Black Loyalists faced an uncertain future as the British retreated at the end of the war. Many fled and others were captured and re-enslaved.

The Black Brigade

The Black Brigade of Loyalists, the Ethiopian Regiment and the Black Pioneers were famous groups of Loyalist soldiers. Boston King and Colonel Tye were two famous black Loyalists.

Multiple Choice

Fill In The Blank: When the American Revolutionary began, around ________ _________ of the population of the thirteen colonies came from African Descent.

• 15 percent

• 20 percent

• 25 percent

• 30 percent

Colonal Tye ( Black Brigade)

Colonel Tye earned a reputation as the most formidable guerilla leader in the Revolutionary War. During his years fighting for the British, Patriots feared his raids, while their slaves welcomed his help in their liberation.

Guerilla Warfare (Raids)

Tye, originally known as Titus during his early years in slavery in New Jersey, escaped a particularly brutal master in 1775 and joined the British army after the Crown offered freedom to any enslaved person who enlisted.

Multiple Choice

Which group was not considered a group of Black Loyalists during the American Revolution?

• The Black Brigade

• The Ethiopian Regiment

• The Black Panther Party

• The Black Pioneers