Meet 7 Famous African-Americans of the American Revolutionary War

From the range of the  Civil War Era and the Civil Rights Movement, Seven(7) highlighted below are famous blacks that stood up in the middle of the 18th century who paved the way for the rest of history are not popularly known. Except Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Malcom X and Martin Luther King, Jr. whose we are mostly taught about.

The American Revolution was a time not only for the Colonists to gain freedom from the British, but for African-Americans to gain freedom from slavery. While Patriots were revolting, Abolitionists were pointing out means for slavery to be abolished. The rejected(free slaves or slaves in the society seize that opportunity to prove their courage, heroism, and intelligence by exhibiting their efforts at in the struggle. Achievements on the battlefield, and in business moved former slaves and freemen closer to complete emancipation.

African-Americans fought both for the Colonials and the Loyalists in the war. In 1775, the British Lord Dunmore,who was than Governor of Virginia, offered freedom to any slaves willing to escape the loyalty of their masters and fight for the British which gained him(Dunmore) hundreds of slaves in Virginia while thousands escaped pointing southward.This proclamation also galvanized rebel Americans against the Crown.

The following are 8 of Heroes/Heroins that struggled to path the free way for Blacks in the Americas Today.

Benjamin Banneker (November 9, 1731 – October 9, 1806) was a free African American almanac author, surveyor, naturalist, and farmer. Born in Baltimore County, Maryland, to a free African American woman and a former slave, Banneker had little formal education and was largely self-taught. He is known for being part of a group led by Major Andrew Ellicott that surveyed the original borders of the District of Columbia, the federal capital district of the United States.
Banneker's knowledge of astronomy helped him author a commercially successful series of almanacs. He corresponded with Thomas Jefferson, drafter of the United States Declaration of Independence, on the topics of slavery and racial equality. Abolitionists and advocates of racial equality promoted and praised his works.

Although a fire on the day of Banneker's funeral destroyed many of his papers and belongings, one of his journals and several of his remaining artifacts are presently available for public viewing. Parks, schools, streets and other tributes have commemorated Banneker throughout the years since he lived. However, many accounts of his life exaggerate or falsely attribute his works.


Agrippa Hull (1759–1848) was a free African-American patriot who served as an aide to Tadeusz Kościuszko, a Polish military officer, engineer and nobleman, for five years during the American Revolutionary War. He served for a total of six years and two months. After the war he received a veterans pension. It was signed by George Washington, and he treasured it for the rest of his life. Born free in Northampton, Massachusetts in 1759 in the middle of the Seven Years' War, Hull became the largest black landowner in Stockbridge, where he lived after the Revolutionary War. He lived to the age of eighty-nine.

Elizabeth Freeman (1742?-1829) Freeman was among the first slaves to file and win a “freedom suit" in Massachusetts, proving that slavery was illegal according to their constitution. 

Although the state did not officially make slavery illegal until the Emancipation Proclamation, her case marked the informal end of slavery in Massachusetts and became precedent in many cases to follow. "I heard that paper read yesterday, that says, all men are created equal," she said to young abolitionist lawyer Theodore Sedgewick, “and that every man has a right to freedom. I'm not a dumb critter; won't the law give me my freedom?"

Paul Cuffee or Paul Cuffe (January 17, 1759 – September 7, 1817) was a Quaker businessman, sea captain, patriot, and abolitionist. He was of Aquinnah Wampanoag and Ashanti descent and helped colonize Sierra Leone. Cuffe built a lucrative shipping empire and established the first racially integrated school in Westport, Massachusetts.

A devout Christian, Cuffee often preached and spoke at the Sunday services at the multi-racial Society of Friends meeting house in Westport, Massachusetts. In 1813, he donated most of the money to build a new meeting house. He became involved in the British effort to resettle freed slaves, many of whom had moved from the US to Nova Scotia after the American Revolution, to the fledgling colony of Sierra Leone. Cuffe helped establish The Friendly Society of Sierra Leone, which provided financial support for the colony.

Prince Hall (c. 1735–1738—1807) was an African American noted as an abolitionist for his leadership in the free blackcommunity in Boston and as the founder of Prince Hall Freemasonry. He lobbied for education rights for black children and was active in the back-to-Africa movement.

Hall tried to gain New England’s enslaved and free blacks a place in Freemasonry, education and the military, which were some of the most crucial spheres of society in his time. Hall is considered the founder of “Black Freemasonry” in the United States, known today as Prince Hall Freemasonry. Hall formed the African Grand Lodge of North America. Prince Hall was unanimously elected its Grand Master and served until his death in 1807.

Steve Gladstone, author of Freedom Trail Boston states that Prince Hall—known for his role in creating Black Freemasonry, championing equal education rights, and fighting slavery—"was one of the most influential free black leaders in the late 1700s."

There is confusion about his year of birth, place of birth, parents, and marriages–at least partly due to the multiple number of "Prince Halls" during this time period.

In the Revolutionary War; Hall encouraged enslaved and freed blacks to serve the American colonial military. He believed that if blacks were involved in the founding of the new nation, it would aid in the attainment of freedom for all blacks. Hall proposed that the Massachusetts Committee of Safety allow blacks to join the military. He and fellow supporters petition compared Britain’s colonial rule with the enslavement of blacks. Their proposal was declined.

England issued a proclamation that guaranteed freedom to blacks who enlisted in the British army. Once the British Army filled its ranks with black troops, the Continental Army reversed its decision and allowed blacks into the military. It is believed, but not certain, that Hall was one of the six "Prince Halls" from Massachusetts to serve during the war.

Having served during the Revolutionary War, many African Americans expected, but did not receive, racial equality when the war ended. With the intention of improving the lives of fellow African Americans, Prince Hall collaborated with others to propose legislation for equal rights. He also hosted community events, such as educational forums and theatre events to improve the lives of black people. Many of the original members of the African Masonic Lodge had served during the Revolutionary War.

Titus Cornelius (1753?–1780) Cornelius became known as Colonel Tye through his leadership and fighting skills with the Loyalist army. It was an honorary title, since the British did not bestow such titles on men of African descent. John Corlies, his former master, was a Quaker in Monmouth County, New Jersey. Despite the Quakers' increasing opposition to slavery, Corlies owned slaves and was well-known for punishing them fiercely. After the British granted his emancipation, Cornelius became one of the most feared guerrilla commanders in New Jersey, carrying out raids against his former master and other colonials. He freed slaves, took prisoners and seized supplies for the Crown.

Crispus Attucks (1723?-1770) Attucks was born into slavery in Massachusetts then escaped to a career at sea. He spent most of his life working on whaling vessels, but was in Boston on one famous day: the Boston Massacre. March 5, 1770, Attucks led a group of men with clubs to the Old State House to protest British occupation. Soldiers responded to the clubs with gun-shots. 

Six Colonists were wounded and five died, including Attucks, making him the first person to die in the American Revolution.

Boston King (1760?-1802) King also fought as a Loyalist after joining the British forces in Charleston. After the war he was granted his freedom. Prior to signing the peace treaty, the British compiled the Book of Negroes, a list of 3000 former slaves to be set free for their war efforts. King was relocated to Nova Scotia and eventually to Sierra Leone, where he was a fundamental minister and teacher in Freetown. King published his autobiography in 1798.