User:Estevezj/sandbox/History of African Americans in the United States Navy

Revolutionary War
In contrast to army or militia service, blacks were not restricted from naval service and served in most of the state navies and the Continental Navy, making up an estimated 10 percent of naval personnel. Harsh duty conditions (that dissuaded many volunteers), peacetime duty at sea, and the remote likelihood of slave insurrection meant that blacks were targeted for recruitment at the beginning of the war. On 13 October 1775, the Continental Congress at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania passed a resolution creating the Continental Navy. There is limited documentary evidence, but some ships' musters make note of race; one muster included 2 black sailors aboard the famous USS Bonhomme Richard (1765).

The duties performed varied, but Blacks generally held higher ranks in the state navies than in the Continental Navy where they served as "officer's boy and powder boy". In state navies, for example, black sailors were often employed as pilots due to their pre-war experience on the water. The number of privateers, however, far exceeded the number of ships held by the Continental and state navies, offering a refuge for runaway slaves, most famously James Forten.

Reconstruction to World War I (1865–1913)
Nadir of American race relations