American Slavery and Revolutionary War Emancipation 

Michael Streich

April 2010 in Suite101

 

Following the battle of Yorktown in 1781 ending the American Revolution, over 60,000 former blacks, most of which had been slaves, left the new United States for British destinations. They had been promised their freedom and, in most cases, British civilian and military leaders attempted to honor that promise, despite fierce resistance from American leaders including George Washington. Undermining the “honor” of the freedom-promise was a hastily added clause to the final peace treaty, inserted by Henry Laurens and accepted by British negotiators, mandating the return of all slaves held behind British lines.

 

The Dilemma of British Commanders

 

According to writer Robert Harvey, “The reality of the war itself was that most blacks saw their best chance of winning freedom in supporting the British cause against that of the majority of their slave-owners – the rebels.” By the end of the war, thousands of blacks, including slaves from Washington’s Mount Vernon plantation, made their way to British lines. In 1783, the new British commander in America, Sir Guy Carleton, refused to return any former slaves during a lengthy conversation with Washington.

 

Carleton’s answer to the treaty clause regarding slavery was simple: the blacks under his protection ceased to be slaves – or property, when they crossed over to British lines. Hence, he was not bound by the treaty to return them. In 1861, Union General Benjamin Butler would use the same argument with Confederate officers seeking to reclaim fugitive slaves that had sought asylum in Fort Monroe. Butler called the former slaves “contraband of war.”

 

In Charleston, General Alexander Leslie managed to embark over 5,000 loyalist blacks to the West Indies and Florida. The limitations of available ships, however, doomed thousands of others that were unable to escape. For the victorious Americans, the return of fugitive slaves represented the restoration of property. Washington continued to pressure the British for compensation as late as 1790.

 

Destinations of Former American Slaves

 

Most of the freed blacks traveled to the West Indies, settling in Jamaica and the Bahamas. According to Harvey, 60,000 blacks arrived in Jamaica between 1775 and 1787. Others went to Nova Scotia, other parts of Canada, or back to Africa, establishing the free state of Sierra Leone. In many cases, notably involving West Indies destinations, blacks were re-enslaved. It is noteworthy, however, that one former slave, Henry Washington from Mount Vernon, helped to establish Sierra Leone in Africa.

 

Criticism of British Policies Regarding Blacks

 

The most significant criticism of British treatment of former slaves relates to the battle of Yorktown. As conditions worsened during the siege, Lord Cornwallis released hundred of blacks, many infected with smallpox. It was hoped that these blacks would carry the disease to the American and French lines.

 

British apologists claim that smallpox was a byproduct of the siege and that blacks contracted it in larger numbers because of their poor living conditions within the city. They point out that releasing the infected blacks was designed to minimize further infection and that any deliberate attempt to promote “germ warfare” is not supported by the factual record. They also assert that such “brutal” action, attributed to Cornwallis, conflicted with his character as a senior British commander.

 

Heroes of Justice

 

Ultimately the heroes of justice were those British commanders determined to fulfill imperial promises of freedom, despite the Laurens’ clause in the peace treaty. It should also be mentioned that until the debacle at Yorktown, the British mindset never included the possibility of defeat. Surrender and defeat altered the British policies regarding American slaves. Thus, Sir Guy Carleton’s actions were viewed as “an Act of Justice” by Lord North and applauded by King George III. In the final analysis, the decision to honor commitments made to loyalist former slaves was a matter of honor, as sacred to any British commander as the regimental colours.

 

References:

 

Robert Harvey, “A Few Bloody Noses” The Realities and Mythologies of the American Revolution (NY: Overlook Press, 2002)

Henry Wiencek, An Imperfect God: George Washington, His Slaves, and the Creation of America (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2003)

Copyright owned by Michael Streich; reprints require written permission