ABSTRACT
During the 18th century, two vastly different societies emerged in the American colonies, one white and free and another black and, for the most part, unfree. No longer were African Americans isolated on rural plantations: by the time the United States gained its independence the black population had surpassed 500,000. In the middle of the 18th century another watershed occurred as well: for the first time since Africans arrived in North America in 1619, a Creole or locally born black population began to emerge. These Creoles drew strongly on the cultural influences of their African ancestors. These were the beginnings of the vibrant African American society that exists today. Many colonists questioned the right of the British Parliament to force them to comply with legislation like the Sugar and Stamp Acts, and likened themselves to slaves. It no doubt struck enslaved blacks as ironic when slaveholding patriots like George Washington demanded liberty and an end to British tyranny.
