23 October–30 December 1775; Congress acts January 16, 1776
Continental leaders exclude Black recruits, then allow a limited reversal
Continental Army at Cambridge, Massachusetts
On October 23, 1775, Washington and congressional delegates agreed to exclude Black men from the new army enlistment. Washington’s December 30 orders permitted free Black men to enlist pending congressional approval. His next-day explanation cited dissatisfied Black veterans and concern that they might join British forces. On January 16, 1776, Congress allowed reenlistment only for free Black men who had served faithfully at Cambridge.
Dates preserve the source’s precision. This entry is part of a selected historical record; its qualifications and sources are retained below.
Context / qualification
The December order and Congress’s narrower January resolution have different wording. This sequence did not establish universal access for Black recruits or emancipate enslaved people. It concerns the army at Cambridge and does not describe every state’s wartime recruiting rules.
Sources
- Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States, chapter 5, pp. 77, 82, 88; supplied print pages, edition/year unidentified
- Minutes of the Conference, October 23, 1775, item 7; Founders Online ↗
- Washington, General Orders, December 30, 1775; text and note 1 quoting Congress’s January 16 resolution ↗
- Washington to John Hancock, December 31, 1775; Black veterans paragraph and note 5 ↗