Many Native American groups and enslaved people sided with the British during the American Revolution for several key reasons:
- Native Americans generally believed that the British would be more likely to uphold their land claims and protect their territories from colonial encroachment. The British government had issued the Proclamation of 1763, which restricted colonial settlers from moving westward into Native lands, a promise the colonists often ignored. Native groups had established relationships and trade ties with the British and hoped these would continue if Britain won the war. They saw the British as a better safeguard against loss of their lands compared to the rebellious colonists who wanted expansion into indigenous territories.
- Some Native American confederacies were internally divided, with certain nations siding with the British while others sided with the American revolutionaries, reflecting strategic choices to protect their own interests amid the conflict.
- Enslaved people were motivated by British promises of freedom in exchange for military service, such as Dunmore’s Proclamation, which offered freedom to those who escaped enslavement and joined the British forces. This incentive led many enslaved individuals to seek freedom by aligning with the British.
In summary, Native Americans aligned with the British largely because they hoped to protect their lands and way of life under British policies and trading relationships, while many enslaved people saw an opportunity for freedom by siding with the British forces.
