On this date, the Continental Congress moved to officially allow the enlistment of Black men—both free and enslaved—into the American Army during the Revolutionary War. Though Black soldiers had already served earlier in the war, especially in Northern militias, this formal acknowledgment marked a broader shift in military policy following the harsh winter at Valley Forge.
Black men served in integrated units, an early example of racial integration in the U.S. military, and they fought in key battles from Bunker Hill to Yorktown. Every one of the original thirteen colonies saw Black soldiers fighting for the cause of American independence.
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