Spanning from 1775 to 1783, the American Revolutionary War was one of the most important conflicts and pieces of history in the United States. States of America. The American Revolution granted America its independence from Great Britain after years of brutal fighting and bloodshed due to growing tensions between the American colonies and the British government. Beginning with the Battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775 and ending with the Treaty of Paris in 1783, officially ending the war and giving America its independence, the American Revolutionary War was a war fought by many participants, including many African Americans. less known for their contributions during the war. African Americans played a very important role on both sides of the Revolutionary War, as they fought for the side that offered them the most promising path to freedom. African Americans like Crispus Attucks and Peter Salem are among many others who contributed greatly to making America a sovereign country. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Considered the very first casualty and very beginning of the American Revolution, Crispus Attucks was one of five men killed when shots were fired by British soldiers in an event called the "Massacre of Boston" in 1770. Previously, the British had created legislation like the Sugar Act in 1764, the Stamp Act in 1765, and the Townshend Acts in 1767 to make the colonists pay high taxes and represent them in Britain, which led the colonists to be extremely enraged at the lack of self-government they had. (1) Among those enraged were Crispus Attucks and many other men. Crispus Attucks and the rest of the Patriot crowd began throwing snowballs and debris at the sentry outside the customs office. A group of British soldiers came to support the rowdy guard and began shooting into the crowd. Three people died instantly while 2 people were injured but died later, among the victims was Attucks. Attucks is considered a martyr of the American Revolution for being the first to rebel against British soldiers in British-ruled America. Attucks was a black, indigenous sailor who was in danger of being forced to join the British Navy.(2) With tensions growing between the sailors/settlers and the British troops, the anger of the sailors/settlers was beginning to reach a boiling point . then in the 1760s and 1770s. Attucks was the man who started the Revolutionary War and encouraged the American people to fight for their country's independence. Born into slavery around 1750, Peter Salem was another well-known African-American patriot who contributed to America's successful independence. After being sold to Major Lawson Buckminster by Jeremiah Belknap, Buckminster gave Salem his freedom when he enlisted in the Continental Army. Early in the war, African Americans volunteered to participate in the war, but were rejected by Washington because he deemed it unnecessary to enlist them, whether free or enslaved. Many feared that giving slaves weapons would enable a slave insurrection and some slave owners did not want to abandon their slaves whom they considered their property. But after realizing that he was faced with a.