The primary reason that African Americans were temporarily barred from joining the Continental Army in 1775 was due to a lack of support for their inclusion among the Continental Congress and among some of the colonial militias.
At the outset of the American Revolution in 1775, many African Americans were eager to join the fight against the British and seek their own freedom. However, the Continental Congress and some of the colonial militias were hesitant to allow African Americans to enlist, as they were concerned about potential backlash from slaveholding states and were not yet ready to fully embrace the idea of African American soldiers. As a result, African Americans were temporarily barred from joining the Continental Army, and many were forced to fight for the British instead, as the British offered the promise of freedom to those who joined their ranks. It was not until later in the war, when the Continental Army was struggling to recruit enough soldiers and the issue of slavery became more central to the conflict, that African Americans were finally allowed to enlist in the Continental Army.
Overall, the primary reason that African Americans were temporarily barred from joining the Continental Army in 1775 was due to a lack of support for their inclusion among the Continental Congress and some of the colonial militias.