There is no power greater than freedom, as such, the revolutionary war was an inevitable event. Having been a source to show their dominance, European powers like the French and British were determined to keep America divided and keep controlling her. However, within that same colony were the African Americans, persistent in their pursuit of freedom. The slight chance of getting freedom ignited promise, and later there would be a war which impacted the African Americans in many ways.
The greatest promise for African Americans was the possibility of freedom. Most of these slaves were either taken from the freedom of their own countries in Africa or born to slavery in America. They had never known what it meant to be free except from hearing stories of their ancestors. As a result, they felt they had had enough of the inhumane treatment they got from their masters. This led African Americans to either become patriots or loyalists as they fought side by side with their oppressors. The reason for this divide was that the African Americans fought for whoever they thought stood a greater chance to reward them freedom. The patriots chose the congressional army, while the loyalist fought for the British crown. Freedom was such an important goal that these African Americans didn’t care to defend people who had mistreated them.
Because of the church and the way British masters treated their slaves, some of the slaves who had been under American masters thought it was better to join the British. There was no immediate promise of freedom, but the idea of better treatment was enough to tempt most African American slaves. Coupled with the fact that the British later promised freedom to whoever fought “for her Majesty,” many slaves saw great promise there.
However, where there is promise, there are also consequences or impacts. After joining the loyalists and patriots, there were divisions among African American population as they now stood on opposite sides. In their quest for freedom African Americans forgot their kinsmen and fought against them. This quest blinded them from seeing the mistake they were making killing their kind. This divided families and communities.
Also, the revolution led to new identities and new borders. The establishment of the US-British border (now Canada) meant that the loyalists went away with the British while the patriots stayed. Some African Americans changed their names from African to Christian names, before finally changing them back to African and eventually freedom names.
Having won independence from Britain, the declaration of independence was drafted. Thomas Jefferson, the principal author, said. “That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Although he didn’t mean to support black claims for freedom, African Americans found hope in his words and believed that such freedom was attainable. As such, most blacks fought for their freedom through courts, but most men fled to better places. One such place was the British side (Canada) where most slaves were able to work and live a free life.
Overall, the revolutionary war began the movement that would see African Americans starting to believe their right for equality. Whether they got their freedom from joining the British army or fleeing to the British held territory, most African Americans were now aware of the need to be free. As a result, there were riots by blacks in some colonies. All this movement led to the final emancipation of African Americans and later being recognized as citizens of a country that had denied them so much.
[Evidence taken from Morin, J. P. (2023). Considering the Revolution: The Identities Created by the American Revolutionary War. The Public Historian, 45(1), 8-24| Harrold, Stanley; Hine, Darlene Clark; Hine, William C - African American Odyssey The Combined Volume (2018_2017, Pearson) – (95-96)]