Docuseries Uncovers Founding Fathers' Contradictions on Slavery During Revolution

A forthcoming PBS docuseries, "The American Revolution," set to premiere on November 16, 2025, takes a deep dive into the lives of Black Americans during the Revolutionary War and how the conflict affected them. The series uncovers several surprising revelations, including the fact that George Washington, the revered military leader of the Continental Army, objected to allowing Black soldiers to fight alongside their white counterparts.

According to the documentary, Washington was "shocked" to see Black soldiers encamped with white soldiers and was "unconvinced they could ever make good soldiers." Historians suggest that Washington's concerns stemmed from his fears about the potential impact on the institution of slavery, as 40% of the population in his home colony of Virginia were enslaved Blacks.

Meanwhile, the British saw an opportunity to undermine the American rebels by encouraging enslaved Blacks to abandon their masters and join their side. In 1775, the British governor of Virginia, Lord Dunmore, issued a proclamation promising freedom to any enslaved person who escaped and fought for the British. This resulted in around 800 enslaved Black men, as well as an equal number of women and children, joining Dunmore's "Ethiopian Regiment," receiving paid salaries for the first time in their lives.

The docuseries also highlights the dark irony of the American Revolution, which was launched by white men who owned enslaved Black people. Founding fathers like Washington and Thomas Jefferson preached independence and the rights to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," while simultaneously holding enslaved individuals on their plantations. In recent years, the reputations of these founding fathers have suffered due to this contradiction.