Black rebels: African American revolutionaries from North Carolina during and after the war of independence.

Author

Andrea N. Miles, University of LouisvilleFollow

Date on Master's Thesis/Doctoral Dissertation

12-2024

Document Type

Doctoral Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph. D.

Department

Humanities

Degree Program

Humanities, PhD

Committee Chair

Krebs, Daniel

Committee Co-Chair (if applicable)

Crothers, A. Glenn

Committee Member

Mackey, Thomas

Committee Member

Yingling, Charlton

Committee Member

Clayton, Dewey

Author's Keywords

Race; class; war; politics; taxes; law

Abstract

This dissertation analyzes the motivations behind the enlistment of approximately five hundred free Black Revolutionary soldiers from North Carolina. It contributes to the historiography of Black soldiers in the American Revolution by exploring how the rights and privileges afforded them as members of North Carolina’s class of free men influenced their decisions to join Revolutionary forces. This study investigates long-standing arguments that free Blacks joined the Revolutionaries to end British tyranny or sought to abolish slavery, regardless of which side they fought for. It explores how the class status of free Blacks in North Carolina affected their acceptance or rejection of republican ideals. Therefore, this dissertation aims to provide a nuanced understanding of the socio-political context in which free Black individuals operated in Revolutionary-era North Carolina. Additionally, it looks at the impact of parliamentary taxation on their lives, the relevance of bounty pay, and whether their struggles converged with those of enslaved individuals in a broader fight to abolish slavery during the American War for Independence.

Recommended Citation

Miles, Andrea N., "Black rebels: African American revolutionaries from North Carolina during and after the war of independence." (2024). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 4488.
Retrieved from https://ir.library.louisville.edu/etd/4488