“Standing in Their Own Light: African American Patriots in the American Revolution”
by Judith L. Van Buskirk
Read the Revolution is published biweekly by the Museum of the American Revolution to inspire learning about the history of the American Revolution and its ongoing relevance.
In Standing in Their Own Light: African American Patriots in the American Revolution, Dr. Judith Van Buskirk draws on Revolutionary War pension records to bring to life the thousands of African American men and women who joined the Revolutionary cause. She reveals how after the war, Black veterans claimed an American identity based on their willing sacrifice on behalf of American independence. And American abolitionists, citing contributions of Black soldiers, adopted the tactics and rhetoric of revolution, personal autonomy, and freedom.
This summer the Museum of the American Revolution is exploring similar themes in their galleries and online. At the Museum, see a printing of the Massachusetts constitution cited by Freeman’s lawyer on display in Flags and Founding Documents, 1776 – Today. Join the museum online to hear how new research on people of African descent.
