User:HughCQuinlan/African Americans in the Revolutionary War

Despite Britain's utilization of African American slaves in the Revolutionary war, a monumental court decision would quickly put in motion efforts to end slavery in Britain. A slave trader named Charles Stewart purchased Somerset, a slave who had been brought to America during the middle passage. Somerset ran away from Stewart's home on October 1, 1771, but was caught on November 26, would face trial on December 9, and the case would finally be decided on June 22, 1772. Somerset's defense exposed the fact that the laws of England do not affirm the right to possess slaves as property. This decision immediately led to a massive rise in anti-slavery activism in Britain, and was a catalyst to the end of slave practices in Britain and among the British colonists. This in-turn provoked the colonists, and was a contributor to the increasing tensions among the colonies. The fear of losing the ability to own slaves was a motivator behind the revolt for the colonists since the Somerset decision threatened the slave practices in the colonies because they are bound by British law. The United States Declaration of Independence issued at the start of the revolution indirectly upholds slavery. The Somerset decision is a major precursor to Dunmore's proclamation. Dunmore offered freedom in exchange for service in the British army during the revolution as the Somerset decision had begun to normalize the freedom of slaves in Britain.

Dunmore's proclamation angered the colonists, as they turned many African American slaves against them, serving as another contributor to the spark of the revolution. Their opposition to the proclamation is referenced in the declaration.