The American Revolution: Crash Course Black American History #8

When we talk about the American Revolution and Revolutionary War, the discussion often involves lofty ideals like liberty, freedom, and justice. The Declaration of Independence even opens with the idea that "all men are created equal." But it turns out, the war wasn't being fought on behalf of "all men." The war was mainly about freedom for white colonists, and liberty, justice, and the pursuit of happiness didn't apply to the Black people living in the British colonies. During the war, Black people took up arms on both sides of the conflict, and today we're going to learn how and why they participated.

Sources and References

Sylvia R. Frey, Water From the Rock: Black Resistance in a Revolutionary Age (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1991).
Woody Holton, Forced Founders: Indians, debtors, slaves, and the making of the American Revolution in Virginia (Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 1998).
Cassandra Pybus, Epic Journeys of Freedom: Runaway Slaves of the American Revolution and Their Global Quest for Liberty (Boston: Beacon Press, 2006).
Benjamin Quarles, The Negro in the American Revolution (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1961).

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Sources and References

-Sylvia R. Frey, Water From the Rock: Black Resistance in a Revolutionary Age (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1991).
-Woody Holton, Forced Founders: Indians, debtors, slaves, and the making of the American Revolution in Virginia (Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 1998).
-Cassandra Pybus, Epic Journeys of Freedom: Runaway Slaves of the American Revolution and Their Global Quest for Liberty (Boston: Beacon Press, 2006).
-Benjamin Quarles, The Negro in the American Revolution (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1961).

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[bananafoneable]

"Black History is American History."
-Morgan Freeman

[danielgreen]

I'm in love with this series. In The Bahamas we do learn about how the loyalist fled to other British colonies, often bringing their slaves with them. I had no idea some of them were promised freedom.

[TheGryfonclaw]

As I get older and better understand the history of my own country and the generations of suffering imposed on black Americans, I am both baffled and in awe of the fact that any black American would ever want to serve the United States.

[Pyromaniac]

Have been missing this series! As a Brit we are taught surprisingly little of this in school so I'm finding it really interesting!

[emmaarmstrong]

i love that they are the hamilton characters. so clever. they know we are nerds

[MOO]

I was taught in school that lots of Black people fought with the American colonists, and in a few limited cases, some were promised their freedom in exchange for their service, I never realized that a much larger number of Black people were on the British side or that many of those people wound up enslaved in other British colonies after the war! It is mind boggling sometimes how much of my own nation's history was not taught in full detail to me in school and I am forever thankful to CrashCourse for picking up some of the gaps my education left out on

[synccrow]

Learn more here than I ever did in school about black history.

[chamilitary]

I'm so glad you pointed this part of history. It's see another black person talk about our history.

[rosesousa]

Down my linage I am related to a man named Toby Gilmore, he was actually a freed slave from the American revolution, our local museum actually has an exhibit of his life before and after being freed. Very cool to listen to this crash course and be able to think of him directly! And all the other episodes as well! Thanks!!

[monteilfitness]

I love these!

“Rest if you must but don’t you quit” 🤙🏿

[cleverhandle]

I’m so glad you are doing this series. Thank you.

[thirdeyetwenty]

I must say the timing of this episode is just **chefs kiss**

I just finished crash course American History which I started after finding this course. The two go together really well and I feel like once this course is done it would be an awesome idea to have a playlist with both courses intermixed to see both perspectives of the same events/time periods side by side.

[elyettedare]

Love this series! Watching the whole thing and sharing it with my US History classes in France. So much I never knew and I love his voice and the pace and clarity. My favourite Crashed Course videos!! 🎉❤

[lindawells]

I love this YouTube channel because I love learning . I love all of the videos . It reminds me of when I was in elementary school . I miss those days . But one thing I know is alot of the things that I have learned is they didn't teach me alot about Black history . That was wrong . I will say that I did have very good teachers . Beautiful . Thank yall .

[jamesyoung]

Thank you so much for this Crash Course in Black American History. If only right-wing media would broadcast the entire series. A lot of their viewers could use an education in Black American History.

[brianblake]

I've been looking for a video to show my students about POC in the AWI. This is it. Masterfully done.

[realtrini]

@crashcourse I may add that after the revolutionary war, some of the enslaved Africans who fought for the British were given land in Trinidad and their descendants are still here.

[MOO]

What a great video to drop on the weekend of July 4th

[sky_rokit]

“Imagine living in a place where your labor exists primarily for someone else’s benefit.”

I see you also live in a capitalist society.

[Eldritch_O]

History, if not learned and heeded, is doomed to repeat itself.