of genuine affection between a black
woman and her white master (Redefining
Family,2005).
The establishment of stable,nurturing
slave families is the story of an unending
struggle against great odds.History
suggests slaves showed tenacious
determination to make something good
out of disastrous circumstances.As we
look at various family struggles,the
successful formation of theAfrican-
American family is a story of heroism in
their struggle for both freedom and
equality.
By the 1770s,slaves had succeeded in
creating a distinctiveAfrican-American
system of family and kinship.To sustain a
sense of family identity,slave children
were often named for a parent or other
blood kin or given a traditionalAfrican
name.By the latter 1700s,some religious
groups (such as the Quakers) denounced
slavery as against the laws of God,man,
and nature,as well as being hurtful to
society.Although tension increased over
the issue of slavery,it was not until the
United States split over the issue (North
against the South during the CivilWar
{1861–1865}),that the Emancipation
Proclamation (1863) freed the slaves in all
Confederate states.The freed slaves were
encouraged to join the North in defeating
the South and ultimately in reuniting the
country.
The American Revolution.By the mid-
1700s,there was growing conflict between
the Colonies and the mother country in
areas of life,thought,political institutions,
social customs,religious belief,and
economic interests.TheAmerican
Revolution (1775–1783) marked the end
of British rule and the birth of the United
States of America.
The Patriots were a mixed lot of the
rich and poor—the common bond was
their ideology of independence as a means
of freeing themselves from British
oppression and reasserting what they
considered their rights (Nash,2006).
Patriot men were not the only ones
involved in the war effort.Patriot women
boycotted British goods,spied on the
British,and followed the Patriot armies—
washing,cooking,and tending to the
soldiers—as well as maintaining the
agricultural work at home to feed their
families and the armies.American women
willingly returned to spinning and
weaving to aid the war effort—skills which
had fallen into disuse (Berkin,2005).
African-Americans,both men and
women,understood Revolutionary
rhetoric as promising freedom and
equality.These hopes were not realized by
African-Americans as the end of the war
brought few changes for them,even those
who fought with or assisted the Patriot
armies.Many Native-Americans wished to
remain neutral,seeing little value in
participating in the European conflict,but
most were forced to take sides.Because
their towns were often attacked,one of theChapter 2