Featuring: Larry Kenneth Alexander
Transcript:
The Revolution was over, and British General Guy Carleton did not mince words as he sat across from General George Washington, explaining the British government’s position that every enslaved Black man, woman, and child born in colonial America was a British subject and entitled to his protection. General Carleton believed his duty was to uphold the English rule of law and their promises. Washington, ever the diplomat, listened, but his unease was palpable. For America, the return of these Black people to their former masters was a matter of economy and maintaining the fragile social order that bound the 13 states together. Further, Washington knew that the success of this new nation needed the labor of enslaved Black people, particularly in the South. Now, as Carleton proclaimed them all to be British subjects and entitled to liberty, Washington saw the foundations of that order begin to crack.
As Carleton spoke, he was resolved. “It would be a breach of faith,” he said firmly, “to abandon these people now.” He reminded Washington that colonial slave codes and Negro laws had been abolished in 1766, memorialized in the Declaration of Independence’s grievance section, and that promises made by Lord Dunmore and General Clinton during the war had guaranteed freedom for enslaved Black colonials without qualification. These promises had been kept throughout the war, and Carleton was determined to see them honored even in peace.
Washington, torn between the ideals of the Revolution and the grim realities of the new nation’s reliance on Black slavery, could do little but listen in frustration. Carleton requested that Washington relay the substance of their meeting to the American Congress, stating that as a British commander guided by English law, he did not view enslaved colonial Blacks as property owned by American citizens. Instead, Carleton maintained they were Englishmen by law and made clear his intent to repatriate all Black colonials to British soil. However, if doing so violated the terms of the Treaty of Paris, Britain would pay compensation. To address this, Carleton and Washington agreed to keep separate registries, known as the Book of Negroes, listing names, ages, occupations, and former masters of these individuals to facilitate compensation for any slaves deemed property by law.
Having announced the British imperial government’s policy that all former enslaved Blacks were British subjects entitled to liberty under English law, and that legal disputes would be resolved in proper courts, Carleton concluded the meeting, knowing the treaty was yet to be ratified by Congress. Washington reported back to Congress, while Carleton issued a direct order to his forces: “Remain on duty until every man, woman, and child who wanted to leave the United States is safely moved to British soil.”
Because of Carleton’s firm stance, the U.S. employed surreptitious tactics of detention, coercion, and deception to hinder the mass exodus of Black colonials to British ships. As a result, when the British finally withdrew on November 28, 1783, only 3,000 out of 500,000 enslaved Black colonials managed to gain passage. These 3,000 escapees were transported for resettlement in Nova Scotia, the Caribbean, and England. The unlucky ones were relegated to generational slavery and exploitation in the United States, denied fundamental due process of law.
Please share and visit our website at Wells Center on American Exceptionalism and look for future videos in this series.