Revolution and Independence

Boston Tea Party. The following articles described before/after American Revolution,

1. The Dilemma

By the time the American colonists took up arms against Great Britain in order to secure their
independence, the institution of Black slavery was deeply entrenched. But the contradiction
inherent in this situation was, for many, a source of constant embarrassment. It always
appeared a most iniquitous scheme to me, Abigail Adams wrote her husband in 1774,

" to fight ourselves for what we are daily robbing and plundering from those who have as good

a right to freedom as we have."

Many Americans besides Abigail Adams were struck by the inconsistency of their stand during
the War of Independence, and they were not averse to making moves to emancipate the slaves.
Quakers and other religious groups organized antislavery societies, while numerous
individuals manumitted their slaves. In fact, within several years of the end of the War of
Independence, most of the Eastern states had made provisions for the gradual emancipation
of slaves.

2. American Revolution and English Colony Policy

A long-held view of the history of the English colonies that became the United States has been
that English's policy toward these colonies before 1763 was dedicated by commercial interests
and that a change to a more imperial policy, dominated by expansionist militarist objectives,
generated the tensions that ultimately led to the American Revolution.