The Revolutionary War was fought on the premise that Americans have the right to control their own property. In the late 1700s, property included slaves.
During the war, thousands of slaves earned their freedom by fighting on either the British side or the American side. Many also escaped from slavery during the war. The Revolution was built upon ideas of liberty and equality, yet it also reaffirmed America's dedication to slavery. Slaves were human beings, but seen and treated as property. The Declaration of Independence, which was ratified in 1776, stated that people possessed ''certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.'' Most Americans, however, did not believe that slaves had these rights.
America had a long tradition of slavery, and despite the revolutionary ideals that were popular at that time, slavery continued to be the cornerstone of America, its economy, and life in America. It was a major aspect of the American way of life, even after the colonists had fought so voraciously for their own freedom. Slavery was seen as acceptable at that time, as a necessity for harvesting the tobacco and cotton crops in the South. In the coming decades following the Revolution, however, abolitionists would point to the hypocrisy of those who fought for their liberty from Britain, yet still held human beings in forced captivity.
