"Refuge to Our Slaves": Sites of Sanctuary for Refugees from Slavery in Revolutionary America

‘My dissertation traces the movement, both voluntary and involuntary, of enslaved and freed people in the American Revolution. This paper is envisaged as part of my first chapter. I focus here on places of refuge for enslaved people in Virginia, the Carolinas, and Georgia between 1775 and 1776. I seek to explore how enslaved and freed people envisioned the presence and purpose of British forces and how freedom-seeking people influenced British policy toward refugees. My project endeavours to recover the diversity of the experiences of refugees from slavery as they declared their independence.’