Throughout American history, African Americans have had to decide whether they belonged in the United States or if they should go elsewhere. Slavery no doubtfully had a great impact upon their decisions. However, despite their troubles African Americans made a grand contribution and a great impact on both armed forces of the Colonies and British. "The American Negro was a participant as well as a symbol." (Quarles 7) African Americans were active on and off the battlefield, they personified the goal freedom, the reason for the war being fought by the Colonies and British. The African Americans were stuck in the middle of a war between white people. Their loyalty was not to one side or another, but to a principle, the principle of liberty. Ben Quarel's, The Negro in the American Revolution, is very detailed in explaining the importance of the African American in the pre America days, he shows the steps African Americans took in order to insure better lives for generations to come.

America's first war, its war for independence from Great Britain was a great

accomplishment. This achievement could have been performed if not for the black soldiers in the armies. The first American to

shed blood in the revolution that freed America from British rule was Crispus Attucks. Attucks along with four white men was killed in the Boston Massacre of March 5, 1770. Even though Attucks was a fugitive slave running from his master, he was still willing to fight against England along with other whites and give the ultimate sacrifice, his life, for freedom. This was not the only incident of Blacks giving it all during the War for Independence.

The colonists would probably have kept African Americans out of the military during the war if not for the proclamation by the John Murray, Earl of Dumore. He stated "I do hereby further declare all indented servants, Negroes, or others, free, that are able and willing to bear arms, they joining His Majesty's Troops, as soon as may be, for the more speedily reducing the Colony to a proper sense of their duty, to His Majesty's crown and dignity." This brought chaos to the colonies, the fear of slaves turning against their masters, and fighting against the colonies was a scrupulous tactic which earned Dunmore the title of tyrant or liberator depending on whether you were whit or black. "This was but another paradox on a war that abounded in paradox. The Negro who fled to the Governor was actuated by the same love of liberty for which the colonists avowedly broke with the mother country." (Quarles 32) For a slave this proclamation by Dunmore was an invitation to liberty, about "eight hundred slaves" (Quarles 31) took up his offer, and were placed in the armed forces of the British.

The Negro in the continental navy usually served in the lowliest rank and occupations. However, some Negroes did advance to higher positions, Cato Austin operated the number one gun on the starboard side for the ship Boston. The state navies enlisted more Negroes mostly of the rank of seamen, but there were some pilots, and a few marines. Virginia made the most of Negro pilots, reasons being that Negroes were cheaper than whites. The best-known pilot from Virginia was Caesar; he piloted the schooner Patrio

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Approximate Word count = 1386
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)