The Colored Patriots of the American Revolution cover

The Colored Patriots of the American Revolution

by William C. Nell

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.

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?