Enslaved Native Americans

Roles of Enslaved People

•During the American Revolution, many Africans were motivated to join the Patriots in order to earn their freedom.

•Slaves were also recruited to weaken the masters who were Loyalists.

•There were about 9,000 African soldiers who supported the Patriot side.

•This means that about 4% of the Patriot military was African.

Roles of Enslaved People

•The average African soldier served 4.5 years in the American Revolution.

•This is about 8x longer than the average white soldier.

•This equates to about 25% of actual Patriot
manpower in the American Revolution.

Roles of Native Americans

•Many Native Americans fought against the British in the
American Revolution to secure their own rights.

•They also fought to regain the land they lost during
Colonization.

•The Natives soon realized that an Independent America
would be more of a threat to their lands and traditions than a British America.

•Most (with very few exceptions) Natives changed sides and became a crucial support to the British war efforts.