A JOINT RESOLUTION honoring north carolina's African‑American Revolutionary War Patriots and supporting the Proposed National Liberty Memorial.
Whereas, from 1775 to 1783, an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 slaves and free persons served as soldiers, marines, and patriots or provided civilian assistance during the Revolutionary War; and
Whereas, more than 250 African‑Americans from 41 of 100 counties in North Carolina and 11 of the State's 13 Congressional Districts served in the Revolutionary War; and
Whereas, John Ellis and Drury Tann were two of the African‑Americans from North Carolina that participated in our nation's struggle for independence from Great Britain; and
Whereas, on April 27, 1776, John Ellis enlisted as a private in the 10th Regiment in the North Carolina Continental Line and, during his two and one‑half year enlistment, spent a year guarding the North Carolina legislature while it met in the Town of Hillsborough; and
Whereas, on August 1, 1782, Drury Tann, who was born a free person of color, enlisted as a private in Captain Hadley's Company of the 10th Regiment of the North Carolina Continental Line and served for about 18 months; and
Whereas, in 1984, Congress enacted Public Law 98‑245 honoring the contributions of African‑Americans who served during the American Revolution; and
Whereas, in 1986, Congress authorized the Black Revolutionary War Patriots Memorial Foundation to establish the Black Revolutionary War Patriots Memorial to honor the 5,000 courageous slaves and free Black persons who served as soldiers or provided civilian assistance during the American Revolution; and
Whereas, in 1987, Congress enacted Public Law 100-265, authorizing the placement of the memorial in the monumental core area of Washington, D.C.; and
Whereas, in 1988, the National Park Service, the Commission of Fine Arts, and the National Capital Planning Commission approved a site in Constitution Gardens for the Black Revolutionary War Patriots Memorial and, in 1996, approved the final design; however, the memorial was not constructed and the authority to do so lapsed; and
Whereas, over the years, members of Congress have continued to introduce legislation supporting the memorial, former Senator Elizabeth Dole cosponsored a bill in 2007; and
Whereas, in 2012, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 was signed into law with an amendment authorizing the National Mall Liberty Fund DC to build a memorial honoring the African‑American Revolutionary War participants; and
Whereas, the efforts to build the memorial have generated interest in genealogical research resulting in the publication of hundreds of books over more than two decades reaffirming the significant contributions made by African‑Americans in the postcolonial period; and
Whereas, the 2008 publication entitled "Forgotten Patriots, African‑American and American Indian Patriots in the Revolutionary War" contained the most extensive list published so far of African‑Americans in the Revolutionary War; Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring:
SECTION 1.  The General Assembly honors the memory of the following 250 African‑American soldiers and patriots from North Carolina who participated in the American Revolutionary War: Josiah Abshier, Joseph Allan, Arthur Allen, Caleb Archer, Archibald Artis, John Artis, James Baltrip, Council Bass, Elijah Bass, Benjamin, Absolem Bibby, Edmund Bibby, Solomon Bibby, Thomas Bibby, Reuben Bird, Moses Bird/Byrd, Martin Black, Benjamin Blango, Moses Blango, Thomas Blango, Jacob Braboy, John Braveboy, John Brown, Brutus, Charles Burnett, David Burnett, William Burnett, John Butler, Isaac Carter, John Edward Carter, John Carter, Joshua Carter, Moses Carter, Jonathan Case, Joseph Case, Caesar Chavis, Drury Chavis, Henry Chavis, Solomon Chavis, Cato Copeland, Byrd Cornet, Cubit, Cuffee, Gibson Cumbo, Jack Currituck, Richard Davis, John Day, Allen Demery, William Dove, Thomas Dring, William Dunstan, Henry Ellis, John Ellis, enslaved man of Mary Walker, enslaved man of Edward Starkey, enslaved man of George Ormsby, enslaved man of Mr. Cogdell, enslaved man of Mr. Ellis, enslaved man of Mr. Wunford, enslaved man of David Ambrose, enslaved man of Captain Rooke, enslaved man of Henry Toomer, enslaved man of Presly Nelms, Benjamin Flood, William Foster, Ambrose Franklin, Charles Franklin, Frederick, Frederick, Christian Free, Anthony Garns, Jeffery Garns, Black Garrick, Charles Gibson, Edward Going, Jenkins Gowen, Ezekiel Graves, John Gregory, Ned Griffen, Aaron Haithcock, Frederick Haithcock, Holiday Haithcock, Isaac Hammond, John Hammond, Edward Harris, Gibson Harris, Jesse Harris, Sherrod Harris, David Hatcher, Henry Hawkins, Benjamin Hawley, Joseph Hawley, Peter Hedgepeth, Frederick Heithcock, William Hersey, John Hethcock, Micajah Hicks, Charles Hood, William Hood, Jackson Hull, David Hunt, Elisha Hunt, Isaac, David Ivey, Jack, Francis Jack, Zachariah Jacobs, Ezekiah Jacobs, Benjamin James, Elisha James, Frederick James, Isaac James, Jeremiah James, Thomas James, William James, Jacob Jefferies, Drewry Jeffrey, John Jeffries, John Jeffries, Brutus Johnston, Abraham Jones, Francis Jones, James Jones, Jonathan Jones, Philip Jones, James Kersey, William Kersey, Morgan Lewis, Valentine Locus, William Lomack, Job Lott, Billing Lucas, James Manley, Littleton Manley, Moses Manley, William Manley, Christopher Manuel, Jesse Manuel, Nicholas Manuel, Absalom Martin, Jesse Martin, John Martin, Patrick Mason, Thomas Mason, Daniel Mills, Mingo, Simeon Moore, William Morgan, Isaac Morgan, Booth Newsom, Moses Newsom, Ethelred Newsom, Carter Nickens, Malachi Nickens, Edward Nickens, Noonday, Jacob Norton, Obed Norwood, Theophilius Norwood, Peter Order, John Overton, Jonathan Overton, Lemuel Overton, Samuel Overton, Titus Overton, Elisha Parker, Israel Pearce, Thomas Peavey, Richard Pendergrass, George Perkins, Isaac Perkins, Jack Peter, Elias Pettiford, Drury Pettiford, George Pettiford, Philip Pettiford, William Pettiford, William Pierce, Stephen Jr. Powell, Arthur Pugh, David Pugh, Quash, William Redman, Benjamin Reed, Dempsey Reed, Isaac Reed, Jacob Reed, John Revell, Benjamin Richardson, James Roberts, John Roberts, William Roberts, Ishmael Roberts, Ishmael Roberts, Jonathan Roberts, Jack Rock, Charles Roe, James Roe, Parker Rogers, Caesar Santee, Hill Scipio, Steven Scott, Emanuel Scott, Exum Scott, Isaac Scott, Isham Scott, Saul Scott, Sterling Scott, Lewis Sims, James Smith, Aaron Spelman, Asa Spelman, Dempsey Stewart, William Stewart, Hezekiah Stringer, Mingo Stringer, Abraham Sweat, George Sweat, William Sweat, Allen Taborn, Burrell Taborn, William Taborn, Joel Taborn, Benjamin Tann, Ephraim Tann, James Tann, Joseph Tann, Drury Tann, Pompey Terry, Ishmael Titus, Anthony Toney, Arthur Toney, John Toney, Charles Turner, Bartlet Tyler, Asa Tyner, Daniel Valentine, Peter Valentine, Drury Walden, John Weaver, Samuel Webb, Henry Wiggins, Absalom Wiggins, Arthur Wiggins, Matthew Wiggins, John Wilkinson, and John Womble.
SECTION 2.  The General Assembly applauds the National Mall Liberty Fund DC, the members of Congress, and the many citizens and volunteers who have worked over the years to establish an African‑American Revolutionary War Memorial.
SECTION 3.  The General Assembly encourages volunteers to discover the names of still‑unknown African‑American Revolutionary War soldiers, sailors, and patriots; enlarge the body of knowledge about their lives; and forward the information to the National Mall Liberty Fund DC for inclusion in a database that will celebrate these unknown heroes.
SECTION 4.  The Secretary of State shall transmit certified copies of this resolution to the Governor of North Carolina, local superintendents of schools, librarians, and historical societies.
SECTION 5.  This resolution is effective upon ratification.