On May 2, 2002, during a televised panel and later documented in academic publications, historians emphasized a striking truth: the American Revolution was partially financed through profits from slavery. While white Americans fought for liberty from British rule, many were simultaneously benefiting from the labor of enslaved Africans. Cotton, tobacco, sugar, and indigo — products grown by enslaved people — were traded for weapons, supplies, and funding, especially with France during the War of Independence. One historian notably remarked, “Americans purchased their freedom with products grown by slaves.”

This interpretation sparked debate but highlights a sobering reality: the quest for liberty in the U.S. was deeply entangled with the economic foundation of slavery — a paradox at the heart of the nation’s founding.