North and South.

During the age of the Revolution enslaved African Americans seized opportunities to obtain freedom. However, these opportunities did not come mostly from the Patriot side. The British on two occasions proclaimed freedom to slaves who joined the Loyalist cause. The Revolution produced two distinct outcomes for African Americans. In the North the ideas of the Revolution and the economic irrelevance of slavery produced gradual emancipation. Free blacks gravitated toward the cities, to live mainly in impoverished circumstances. In the South the British challenge to slavery reinforced the determination of Patriot farmers and planters to defend their slave system. A mere twenty thousand out of some six hundred thousand slaves left the colonies along with the retreating British army.

A Diverse Labor Force.

Slaves and free blacks formed a vital part of the Northern workforce. By 1750 Great Britain had...