People of African Descent & The Revolutionary War

Photo Credit: Zann Nelson – Photo of  Enslaved Peoples Quarters

People of African Descent in Culpeper, VA during the War

Written by: Zann Nelson

Since the 1640s the Colony of Virginia adhered to the institution of slavery.  Culpeper County was no exception when founded in 1749. Although, not all the settlers in the county owned enslaved people, much of the land was owned as part of large land grants and would require the labor of many hands. The majority of Culpeper’s first settlers were of English or European descent. Colonial settlers would be accompanied from the earliest of days by 100s and then 1000s of people of African descent.

By the mid-17th century, and then codified by the Virginia Slave Codes of 1705,1 slavery had become a state of perpetual or inherited bondage handed down from the mother. If the mother was free, so were the offspring. However, if the mother was enslaved so were her children, grandchildren and so forth, owned as personal property by her owner or whomever her owner chose to bequeath, mortgage, or sell to. This expansion of property assets would be known as natural-increase.

Culpeper County’s land was fertile, well-watered and convenient to port cities such as Fredericksburg, and Tappahannock for the export of goods. Needless to say, it was a desirable place to live and becoming more so every year. Those who held the vast acreage would require court services, commercial transportation, shops, blacksmiths, travelers’ lodging, jails, and more. By 1759, a developer named Robert Coleman established a courthouse town, first called Fairfax and now known as Culpeper. As Culpeper’s European population continued to expand so did the much-needed labor force, filled primarily by the enslaved of African descent.

Records were kept but few remain in existence. The primary resources for population numbers can be gleaned from the Property Tax Records for Culpeper County,2 additional records published in An 18th Century Perspective: Culpeper County,3 and the 1790 Census for Culpeper County.4 Sources for the legal status of freeholders, servants and people of African descent, whether free or enslaved, will be cited as they are referenced.

Number in the Overall Population – At the onset of the war.

  • Approx. 500,000 African Americans in the colonies
  • About 90% were enslaved
  • Total American Population was approximately 2.1 million
  • 2.4% were free blacks
  • 21.5% Slaves

Source: American Battlefield Trust

…it is noted that in the newly identified Commonwealth of Virginia, Culpeper County had the highest overall population, and the second-highest enslaved population.

Example of Quarters for Enslaved Peoples.

Colonial settlers would be accompanied from the earliest of days by 100s and then 1000s of people of African descent.

African Americans stacking wheat near Culpeper Courthouse, Va.

Creator(s): Forbes, Edwin, 1839-1895, artist

The tithables or Personal Property Tax Records for Culpeper County (1782- 1790) provide lists of the named adult males over the age of sixteen (both slaveholders and non-slaveholders). As the lists were the basis for taxing personal property, they often would contain the first names of those enslaved persons over the age of 16.  In addition, the lists contain the names of the adult males who were free people of African descent.

The first United States Census was conducted in 1790. The population for the region that included  Culpeper, Madison, and Rappahannock 22,105. The enslaved population was 8,226 or 37%. In the records of 1790, it is noted that in the newly identified Commonwealth of Virginia, Culpeper County had the highest overall population, and the second-highest enslaved population. Noting these records, as well as the large number of men from Culpeper who served in the American Revolution, it is likely that in the 1770s the numbers were similar, at least in percentages.

During this tumultuous time, the people of African descent comprised a significant portion of the Culpeper population. Yet, there is a scarcity of information that speaks to how some had acquired their freedom or what these individuals thought about the ongoing debate regarding freedom, and the right to manage one’s fate. However, it is improbable to think that the cries of “Liberty or Death” and the “freedom to worship on one’s own terms,” or the chant of resistance to the idea of taxation without representation, went unnoticed or fell on deaf ears.

It is challenging to comprehend the contradictions that were flagrant as colonies declared their independence in light of what we know today. However, we must strive to keep knowledge in context and set the goal to understand rather than judge. Nonetheless, in our efforts to commemorate the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, it is incumbent upon us to seek the full and comprehensive story. To that end, research will continue to uncover additional details and records that can help us to tell the untold stories of the persons of African descent who lived through this turbulent time in the United States.

 

1. Encyclopedia Virginia, “An act concerning Servants and Slaves” (1705)
2. Library of Virginia, Property Tax Records, onsite access via microfilm
3. An 18th Century Perspective: Culpeper County(1976), published by the Culpeper Historical Society
4. Geography of Virginia

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