In Black Patriots and Loyalists: Fighting for Emancipation in the War for Independence, Alan Gilbert continues the recent trend among historians of the American Revolution to examine the roles of loyalists, Native Americans, and African Americans in that conflict. Gilbert's focus is on African Americans, and he brings an important new perspective to the topic. He is also bold in denouncing the institution of slavery and its supporters on both the American and the British sides, unlike most authors who have previously dealt with this subject and who have been cautious in passing judgment, especially with regard to the contradiction of Americans who fought simultaneously for their own freedom and for the preservation of slavery.

Gilbert asserts that there were actually two revolutions that occurred within the British Empire in the late eighteenth century: one fought for the independence of the American colonies and the other for the emancipation of slaves. The latter, Gilbert argues, began before the American Revolution and was motivated by Enlightenment ideas that emphasized human equality, the increase of antislavery sentiment among Quakers, and the growth of the abolitionist movement in Great Britain. The shift in British views regarding human bondage was clearly demonstrated in 1772, when Chief Justice Lord Mansfield issued his decision in the Somersett case that declared slavery illegal in Britain. The importance of Mansfield's ruling was evident to Americans, both black and white, leading many slaves to look upon the British as potential liberators while colonial slave owners began to worry that the British government posed a threat to the institution upon which their wealth and prosperity depended.

With the outbreak of war three years later, the actions of another royal official appeared to confirm the hopes of American slaves and the worst fears of their masters. When Virginia's royal governor, Lord Dunmore, emancipated rebel-owned slaves who volunteered to fight for the British, the American rebels thought it necessary to respond to his actions or risk defeat if Dunmore and others mobilized their slaves against them. The revolutionaries' reactions varied, however, largely along regional lines. Gilbert notes that many people in the northern colonies recognized that slavery was incompatible with their political principles and eventually permitted blacks to perform military service and in some cases even supported the abolition of slavery. Southerners reacted in the opposite manner, as Gilbert demonstrates using the colonies of Virginia and South Carolina as case studies. Fearful that Dunmore's actions foreshadowed a British policy of general emancipation in the rebellious colonies, southern leaders adopted a policy of harsh repression of their slaves while embracing the cause of American independence as the best means to protect their African chattel from possible British attempts at abolition.

Ultimately, neither side proved willing to risk the consequences of emancipating slaves on a large scale, and both American and British leaders opted for more pragmatic approaches to the issue of slavery. Gilbert observes that while both sides primarily viewed slaves as a means to achieve their military objectives, some leaders were guided by humanitarian principles. John Laurens, the son of prominent South Carolina planter Henry Laurens and a member of General George Washington's staff, was the leading advocate of offering freedom to slaves who would enlist in the American army. When Laurens, with the support of his father and Washington, finally convinced the Continental Congress to adopt his plan in 1779, Gilbert notes that the War for Independence and the battle against slavery briefly became congruent. However, southern governors and legislators rejected Congress's proposal, and the effort to unite the two revolutions into a single struggle for the liberty of all ended almost immediately.

Gilbert asserts that during the course of the war the British did more to promote emancipation than did the Americans, although British leaders often hesitated to take full advantage of the thousands of slaves who sought freedom with the Royal Army in the southern states. These slaves chose to seek liberation from bondage by fleeing to the British army or navy when opportunity offered, and thus forced military commanders to deal with their presence. British officers, however, were often reluctant to employ fugitive slaves as combat soldiers, preferring the less controversial option of assigning them supporting roles as pioneers and teamsters. In some cases, slaves who had sought freedom with the British were sold into slavery in the West Indies by their erstwhile liberators.

The peace treaty that ended the war allowed Americans to recover slaves who had fled to the British, but General Sir Guy Carleton and other principled British officers insisted that royal officials' previous promises of freedom were inviolable and thereby prevented the return of most slaves. Nonetheless, Gilbert describes how emancipated slaves who left the United States with the British continued to struggle for equality, as racism and misguided British paternalism plagued black refugees in Britain, Canada, and Sierra Leone.

Gilbert argues his case convincingly, and his conclusions are supported by thorough research. However, in some cases it appears that his research was too narrowly focused, resulting in a lack of context that occasionally leads to inaccurate conclusions. For example, Gilbert states that the large numbers of women and children attached to British regiments in America were probably the wives and children of slaves serving as soldiers in those units. Actually, British regiments included female camp followers who performed essential support tasks, and most had accompanied the troops from Britain, many bringing their children with them. Similarly, Gilbert confuses the identity of British lieutenant colonels Archibald Campbell and Alexander Campbell, leading to inaccurate observations regarding the former's views on slavery. Despite these minor errors, this is an excellent volume that achieves the author's goal of demonstrating the major role African Americans played during the Revolution, and Gilbert makes a valuable contribution to the study of slavery and the War for American Independence.