The Colored Patriots of the American Revolution [Hardcover]

William Cooper Nell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1968 | ISBN-10: 0405018320 | ISBN-13: 978-0405018329 | Edition: 1st THUS

In "Colored Patriots of the American Revolution," William Cooper Nell documents the important and oft-forgotten contributions of black Americans who fought during the Revolutionary War. While most history books focus on white heroes such as George Washington, Paul Revere, and Ethan Allen, "Colored Patriots" focuses on the black Americans who fought bravely and heroically for freedom and independence in the American Revolution. When the Revolution started, the American colonies had a population of about two and a half million people, one fifth of whom were black, mostly slaves. The courage and bravery demonstrated by blacks during the Revolution influenced legal decisions in the northern states to abolish slavery, leading to freedom for about 60,000 slaves. Yet for the most part, acts of heroism and the contributions of blacks during the Revolution either went unrecorded or were not widely publicized. "Colored Patriots of the American Revolution" is organized by state, with many historical names mentioned and an account given of the African American involvement state-by-state.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

William Cooper Nell (1816 –1874) was an American abolitionist, journalist, author, and civil servant. As an historical author his books, Services of Colored Americans in the Wars of 1776 and 1812 (1851) and Colored Patriots of the American Revolution (1855) became available to the public. These represented the premier exhaustive studies of African Americans. Nell studied law in the early 1830s; however he was never certified as a lawyer because he would not swear allegiance to the Constitution of the United States. He believed it advocated the enslavement of millions African Americans throughout the South and so he could claim no loyalty to it. Around this time, Nell also began his association with acclaimed white abolitionist Garrison and with The Liberator. This connection would continue until the paper’s termination in 1865. Nell fought for the ideals of Garrison unfalteringly throughout the abolitionist campaign. Nell worked with Frederick Douglass on his abolitionist publication, The North Star, from 1848 until 1851. In 1850, Nell lost the Free-Soil candidacy for legislature in his home state. That same year, the Fugitive Slave Law gave Nell new inspiration to continue the fight against slavery. He was prompted to create the Committee of Vigilance, which served a similar purpose to that of the Freedom Association of 1842, but was much more illegal at this point. He encouraged and engaged in the “Underground Railroad”. During 1855, The Liberator employed Nell to journey around the Midwest and study African American anti-slavery efforts. After the publication of the devastating Dred Scott decision in 1858, Nell orchestrated a remembrance of black Revolutionary martyr Crispus Attucks to remind people of the civil status of African Americans at the time of American separation from England. That same year, Nell organized the Convention of Colored Citizens of New England. This action was decidedly in opposition to his earlier abhorrence of segregated abolitionism, but he argued that this new insult to blacks constituted sufficient reason to act separately. Nell spent the time between publications working for legislation to allow blacks into the Massachusetts military, one of the few struggles of his life in which he was not successful. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 396 pages
• Publisher: Ayer Co Pub; 1st THUS edition (June 1968)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0405018320
• ISBN-13: 978-0405018329
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,266,739 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Forgotten Piece of American History, August 6, 2010

By 

Gerald P. Murphy - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: THE COLORED PATRIOTS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION (Kindle Edition)

Americans have lost much of their knowledge of basic historical facts, particularly those relating to the American Revolution. In fact, a recent survey of high-performing college seniors found that more thought that Ulysses S. Grant (a Civil War general in the 1860s) commanded the troops at Yorktown than George Washington (who actually did lead those troops in the 1780s). Since advanced college seniors cannot identify the commander-in-chief of the American Revolution, it is not surprising that today's Americans know even less about the thousands of African Americans who fought during the Revolution, or that they participated in every major battle of the War.

Although this part of our history is unfamiliar today, it was known in previous generations because of the writings of black historians such as William Nell, an award winning young scholar in Boston during the 1830s. He studied law and became the first black American to hold a post in the federal government. In 1852, he authored Services of Colored Americans in the Wars of 1776 and 1812, and three years later, he penned The Colored Patriots of the American Revolution.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must reading for anyone interested in history, September 12, 2010

By 

jaco7 - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Colored Patriots of the American Revolution (Paperback)

This book was written in the 1700's and contains infromation that for nefariious reasons you will never read in any school history book

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best of books, February 26, 2011

By 

Karl - See all my reviews

This review is from: THE COLORED PATRIOTS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION (Kindle Edition)

I heard of this book on Glenn Beck. This is the truth those who wish to devide the American people would serpress.