BS: Slaves at the end of the Revolution

Subject: BS: Slaves at the end of the Revolution
From: Ron Davies
Date: 11 May 06 - 10:54 PM

Just in passing, in the phone records thread, Donuel brings up an historical aspect which I think deserves its own thread: the fate of black slaves, at the end of the American Revolution, who fought on the British side.

He states that "over 100,000 slaves" were brought by the British back to the UK and schools for freed blacks were set up.

It is certainly true that, as Donuel says, Washington does not have clean hands in this--he pushed for the return of slaves who had taken refuge with the British.

However, I'd like to know Donuel's source for the 100,000 figure. And there are other questions.

According to a recent book by Henry Wiencek,-- An Imperfect God: George Washington, His Slaves and the Creation of America, the story is, you might expect, complex. And only one major white figure does have clean hands. And he is neither American nor British, but Canadian. Probably born in the UK?

At the very last minute, Henry Laurens, former president of the Continental Congress, inserted a clause in the provisional treaty ending the American Revolution, a clause" that compelled the British to hand over any slaves who had taken refuge with them, though the British had promised freedom to those refugees." He "easily secured the approval of his fellow American negotiators and their British counterparts."

However, the British officer responsible for enforcing the treaty during the evaculation from New York was General Sir Guy Carleton, who had been governor of Quebec before the American Revolution.

Carlton decreed that he would evacuate those who had been in the British camp for at least a year. He stated that blacks had become free by the act of crossing into British lines. He had documents of protection issued to the blacks. When displayed, such a document would force a slave catcher--many had come to New York--to back off or face arrest by British forces.

Wieneck states that not 100,000 but about 13,000 to 14,000 blacks left with British troops when they sailed from Savannah, Charleston, and New York in 1783.

He further states "Not all were free. White loyalists who owned slaves were allowed to take their slaves with them, some British officers held slaves, and some American blacks who had joined the British for freedom were sold into slavery in the West Indies and East Florida."

In Charleston, as the ships were about to sail "panic set in. When it became apparent that the evacuation of all refugees could not be completed by the time the last ships had to sail, the British posted troops on the wharves to beat back refugees with cutlasses and bayonets. The most desperate dove into the water and clung to the sides of departing British longboats. One eyewitness wrote, 'to prevent this dangerous practice the fingers of some of them were chopped off.' " (Source: Wilson: Loyal Blacks)

Any further information on the topic?

Subject: RE: BS: Slaves at the end of the Revolution
From: Ron Davies
Date: 12 May 06 - 12:02 AM

As you can see, aside from Guy Carleton's efforts, it's a sordid story.

Subject: RE: BS: Slaves at the end of the Revolution
From: Little Hawk
Date: 12 May 06 - 12:20 AM

As such stories usually are.

Subject: RE: BS: Slaves at the end of the Revolution
From: Metchosin
Date: 12 May 06 - 01:54 AM

Thanks to Carleton's actions, a lot of those freed slaves ended up in Canada. The community of Birchtown in Nova Scotia, at one time, was the largest community of free blacks in the world outside of Africa.

Carleton also helped pass the Quebec Act which guaranteed Quebec's freedom of religion and a French civil code which helped win the loyalty of Quebecois to the English. The Americans didn't like him and he became relegated to a footnote in American history, if mentioned at all, but Guy Carleton had a huge impact on what would become Canada. More here.

Subject: RE: BS: Slaves at the end of the Revolution
From: Cluin
Date: 12 May 06 - 02:51 AM

As always, to bring a folk musical element into it, a song written by James Gordon (who specializes in telling the stories of folk not written up in the history books) and recorded by him with Tamarack:


Pawpine
James Gordon 1993

(the true story of Richard Pierpoint, the first settler of the Fergus, Ontario area (along the Grand River))


Born a free man in Senegal in 1744
Captured at sixteen in a tribal war
Down the Gambia River, he was taken in chains
And the man they called Pawpine never saw his home again
And the man they called Pawpine never saw his home again

At James Fort, they sold him into slavery
To the Royal African Company
And he was thrown into the hold of a ship bound away
Far over the ocean to Charleston Bay
Far over the ocean to Charleston Bay

Sold to a soldier of the British Crown
When the Revolutionary War came, Pawpine found
That he fought for the Redcoats and he fought so brave
For the same king whose men first had made him a slave
For the same king whose men first had made him a slave

   (chorus:)
   And in his dreams, he still lives by the Gambia shore
   Not the frozen grey Grand, by his cabin door
   Though they said he was free, still his heart stayed in chains
   May his soul roll home down that river again.
   May his soul roll home down that river again.

With other slaves, he fought with Butler at Niagara Falls
When the war was over, Haldimand said he would free them all
So Pawpine pressed him for passage home to Africa
But he was granted land in Upper Canada
But he was granted land in Upper Canada

And in the War of 1812, he took up arms once again
With Captain Runchey's Company of Coloured Men
For their service at Lundy's Lane and Queenston Heights
From this cold country, Pawpine thought they'd earned their flight
From this cold country, Pawpine thought they'd earned their flight

But to the unbroken wilderness, now, they were sent
To make a new start with a black settlement
Though he tried till he died, still he never could
Feel at home in those lonely northern woods
Feel at home in those lonely northern woods

   (chorus)

Subject: RE: BS: Slaves at the end of the Revolution
From: TheBigPinkLad
Date: 12 May 06 - 11:19 AM

Carleton was born at Strabane in what is now Northern Ireland and died at Maidenhead in England. Canada was not confederated as a country until 1867.

Subject: RE: BS: Slaves at the end of the Revolution
From: GUEST,heric
Date: 12 May 06 - 01:07 PM

There is another new (April, 2006) book on this subject I have on order: Simon Schama's 'Rough Crossing.' It seems my grade school teachers were not very forthcoming about the Revolution and the "fight for liberty." The book also apparently illustrates the sad early history of Sierra Leone.

Subject: RE: BS: Slaves at the end of the Revolution
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 12 May 06 - 06:44 PM

Not to forget there are slaves right now..and schoolchildren are freeing them with their lunch money. We should ask ourselves (me included of course) what are we doing and what could we do? mg

Subject: RE: BS: Slaves at the end of the Revolution
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 12 May 06 - 07:03 PM

Here's a website about the "Black Loyalists", including material about the Royal Ethiopian Regiment, who fought with "Liberty to Slaves" embroidered on their uniforms.

Subject: RE: BS: Slaves at the end of the Revolution
From: Metchosin
Date: 12 May 06 - 07:06 PM

Didn't you like my link to that website, McGrath? BG

Subject: RE: BS: Slaves at the end of the Revolution
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 12 May 06 - 08:25 PM

"More here" wasn't specific enough for me I'm afraid. And it was to a different page on that website. And the Royal Ethiopian Regiment is an fascinating bit of forgotten (suppressed?) history - I came across it in a novel I mentioned in a previous thread, BS: Slavery and Indentured Servitude, Incomparable World by S.I.Martin.

It occurs there's a parallel in this story to the events at the end of the Vietnam War.

Subject: RE: BS: Slaves at the end of the Revolution
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 12 May 06 - 08:28 PM

"More here" wasn't specific enough for me I'm afraid. And it was to a different page on that website. And the Royal Ethiopian Regiment is an fascinating bit of forgotten (suppressed?) history - I came across it in a novel I mentioned ina previous thread , BS: Slavery and Indentured Servitude, Incomparable World by S.I.Martin.

It occurs to me there's some parallel in this story to events at the end of the Vietnam War.

Subject: RE: BS: Slaves at the end of the Revolution
From: Metchosin
Date: 12 May 06 - 09:48 PM

oh.
















oh. LOL

Subject: RE: BS: Slaves at the end of the Revolution
From: Donuel
Date: 13 May 06 - 10:32 AM

Sorry if I got the number wrong. It was what I thought I heard during the interview with the author on NPR.
I most certainly got it wrong. Not even close enough for jazz.

Subject: RE: BS: Slaves at the end of the Revolution
From: Charley Noble
Date: 13 May 06 - 11:14 AM

The May issue of Smithsonian Magazine also has an article on this point entitled "Presence of Mind: Dirty Little Secret" by Simon Schama from his book ROUGH CROSSINGS. Apparently loyalists, white and black, were shipped out of Boston (1776), New York City (1783), as well as Charleston (1782).

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Slaves at the end of the Revolution
From: Ron Davies
Date: 14 May 06 - 08:12 AM

Thanks, Donuel, not only for admitting the number problem (100,000)--with humor even--but for bringing up the topic of the slaves at the end of the Revolution in the first place.

And it's certainly true that if Canada was not a country until 1867 and Guy Carleton was both born in the UK and died in the UK, technically he's British, not Canadian.