The Colored Patriots Of The American Revolution

The Colored Patriots of the American Revolution, is an American history book written by William Cooper Nell, with an introduction by Harriet Beecher Stowe. It focuses on African-American soldiers during the American Revolution and the War of 1812. It details "the services of the Colored Patriots of the Revolution". Among other patriots mentioned are Crispus Attucks, the first person killed in the Boston Massacre; Peter Salem, who was instrumental in the victory at Bunker Hill; and Prince Whipple, who participated in George Washington's noted crossing of the Delaware. The Colored Patriots of the American Revolution is considered by some to be the first history book by and about African Americans that is based on written documentation.

While every schoolchild in America has heard of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Marquis de Lafayette little is known of the African-American contribution to the American Revolution. William Cooper Nell, a nineteenth century abolitionist, wished to reexamine our understanding of this famous war and highlight to the world the black soldiers who fought and died for the cause of American Independence. In this fascinating work he uncovers intriguing stories such as that of Crispus Attucks who is considered the first casualty of the American Revolution. Nell exposes how in each state, from Massachusetts to Florida, African-Americans were active participants in the Revolution. Harriet Beecher Stowe, in the introduction to Nell's work, perfectly expresses the value of services given by African-Americans: "we are to reflect upon them as far more magnanimous, because rendered to a nation which did not acknowledge them as citizens and equals, and in whose interests and prosperity they had less at stake. It was not for their own land they fought, not even for a land which had adopted them, but for a land which had enslaved them, and whose laws, even in freedom, oftener oppressed than protected. Bravery, under such circumstances, has a peculiar beauty and merit." Nell's work is a brilliant reassessment of history and wonderfully explains the contributions of African-Americans to the War of Independence. Jessie Carney Smith in her book Black First also explains that this work deserves acknowledgement in its own right because it was "the first substantial historical work by a black man in America." William Cooper Nell was an African-American abolitionist, author and civil servant of Boston. He worked tirelessly at the outbreak of the American Civil War to get black soldiers accepted into the Union Army. He died in 1874 at the age of 58. His most famous work The Colored Patriots of the American Revolution was first published in 1855.

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The Colored Patriots of the American Revolution shines a light on the overlooked contributions of African Americans during the Revolutionary War. First published in 1855, this seminal work by abolitionist William C. Nell features biographical sketches of black soldiers who fought courageously for America's independence. Nell's groundbreaking research documents the participation of men like Crispus Attucks, an African American martyr who was the first man shot dead by British troops during the Boston Massacre. The book also highlights black patriots like James Armistead Lafayette, an American double spy who successfully infiltrated British forces under the command of Benedict Arnold. In vivid detail, Nell records acts of heroism and sacrifice by African Americans during the nation's founding era. His book stands as an important testament to the role of black soldiers in the Revolutionary War, challenging prevailing narratives that overlooked their service and significance. More than a vital historical document, The Colored Patriots of the American Revolution makes the moral case for black liberation and equal civil rights, establishing Nell as a pioneering voice against slavery and oppression.