Americans and the Revolution
War
African Americans and Free Enslaved
At the start of the war,one out of every five people in the 13 colonies was of African descent.Most lived as slaves in the Southern Colonies and about 5,000 African Americans fought for the Continental Army and many were promised their freedom as a reward for their service.This was the case for the soldiers in the First Rhode Island Regiment.The First Rhode Island Regiment fought bravely in Several major battles during the war.
Personal Hardships
The approval of the Declaration of Independence showed that the colonial leaders had united against Britain.But the colonist themselves were not united.Many faced the difficult decision of whether to support independence or to remain loyal to the British King.As people took sides,towns,friendships,and families were sometimes torn apart and one Patriot woman stayed in Boston while Loyalist members of her family moved away.
Woman and the War
Martha Washington
Martha will travel with her husband,George every winter and even some brave girls and woman joined the men in battle.Or even some wives followed their husbands from battle to battle.In army camps,woman cooked food and washed clothes,even some brought water to soldiers during battle.
Mercy Otis Warren
Mercy Otis Warren wrote patriotic poems and stories that often showed woman heroes fighting for freedom and later she wrote a history of the American Revolution,the first by a woman.Some woman used their talents to support the Patriot cause.
Deborah Sampson
Deborah Sampson dressed in men's clothes to fight,calling herself Robert Shirtliffe and Margaret Corbin was badly wounded after taking her husband's place in battle.Corbin became the first woman war veteran to be recognized by Congress.
The Economic Hardships
Economic Hardships
Americans faced economic as well as personal hardships during the Revolutionary War.One problem was a shortage of important goods and British ships set up blockades so that other ships could not unload goods at American ports.As the shortage of goods grew worse and in two months the prices went higher and higher and the cause was of the inflation was the falling value of Continental money.