Black rebels: African American revolutionaries from North Carolina during and after the war of independence.

This dissertation analyzes the motivations behind the enlistment of approximately five hundred free Black Revolutionary soldiers from North Carolina. It contributes to the historiography of Black soldiers in the American Revolution by exploring how the rights and privileges afforded them as members of North Carolina’s class of free men influenced their decisions to join Revolutionary forces. This study investigates long-standing arguments that free Blacks joined the Revolutionaries to end British tyranny or sought to abolish slavery, regardless of which side they fought for. It explores how the class status of free Blacks in North Carolina affected their acceptance or rejection of republican ideals. Therefore, this dissertation aims to provide a nuanced understanding of the socio-political context in which free Black individuals operated in Revolutionary-era North Carolina. Additionally, it looks at the impact of parliamentary taxation on their lives, the relevance of bounty pay, and whether their struggles converged with those of enslaved individuals in a broader fight to abolish slavery during the American War for Independence.