Historians have estimated that a quarter of all escaped slaves who joined the British cause served in some capacity on British merchant and naval ships. Jeremiah urged other African Americans to assist the Royal Navy in capturing Charleston harbor because Britain had come “help the poor negroes.” Accused of inciting a slave insurrection, Jeremiah was convicted, hanged, and his body burned by city authorities. One sailor who allied with the British cause was Thomas Jeremiah, a prominent South Carolina free Black man, pilot, and fisherman. After his release, he became a successful sailmaker in Philadelphia and a prominent abolitionist.Ī sizable number of African Americans identified with the British causes, especially after John Murray, the earl of Dunmore and Virginia’s royal governor, issued a proclamation on 7 November 1775 offering freedom to slaves and indentured servants who would leave their “patriotic” owners and join the British Army. One of the most famous African American seaman from this era was James Forten, who enlisted on a privateer as a powder boy, and spent time on a British prison barge. Black sailors usually performed menial tasks on ships but some served in other roles, including carpenters and even pilots. The Continental Navy recruited both free and enslaved Blacks, partly out of a need for laborers and partly because many African Americans were experienced seafarers, having sailed before with the Royal Navy, state navies, and merchantmen. Even greater numbers of African Americans served aboard state naval vessels and privateers.
1775-1783: African American Naval Participation in the American Revolution: Over 10% of the Continental Navy was African American during the American Revolution-a higher percentage than in the ground services.
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