The New York Negro's Battle for Political Rights, 1777–1865

Abstract

The American revolution, with its accompanying changes in the economic, social and political life of the thirteen colonies, failed to alter the Negroes' “outsider status”. In this article the struggle for political rights will be considered as a factor in changing that “outsider status.” It seems justifiable to single out for special treatment a period of less known political action aimed at improving – or sometimes simply defending – the Negro's status as a citizen.