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Liberty or Death: The Surprisi... Liberty or Death: The Surprising Story of Runaway Slaves who Sided with the British During the American Revolution
Liberty or Death is the little-known story of the American Revolution told from the perspectives of the African-American slaves who fought on the side of the British Royal Army in exchange for a promise of freedom. Motivated by the 1775 proclamation by Virginia’s Royal Governor that any slaves who took up arms on his behalf would be granted their freedom, these men fought ...more
Library Binding, 64 pages
Published
January 12th 2010
by National Geographic Society
(first published 2010)
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Liberty or Death presents a nonfiction complement to Anderson's books. Blair explains why many slaves served the British during the American Revolution and what they hoped to get out of it: Freedom. Some slaves did serve with the patriots for the same reason. Unfortunately, few slaves actually received freedom. The British encouraged slaves to run away from their masters, but only patriot masters, slaves belonging to loyalists were returned. Once the British lost the war, slaves living in N...more
The American Revolution was a war for freedom, but freedom for whom? At the time, the only ones who were truly free were white males. Slavery was still supported by the government, with no end in sight as slave labor was necessary to support the plantations and production of goods. British colonial governor Lord Dunmore of Virginia, faced with colonists' rebellion in 1775, offered freedom to any slave (owned by a rebel) who would be willing to fight for the British. The slaves who answered...more
I couldn't help thinking as I read this book how much more interesting it would have been as an historical novel. It seemed as if the information presented was not specific enough for me. I also felt that there were parts that concentrated so much on the colonists' forces in regards to slaves that it felt like it didn't fit.
The story of these men, women, and children, needed to be told. But I think either Whitman Blair didn't feel the primary source material would hold young reade...more
The story of these men, women, and children, needed to be told. But I think either Whitman Blair didn't feel the primary source material would hold young reade...more
This is an interesting but too brief look at Blacks who fought on both sides of the revolutionary war, and what happened to them after the war ended. Those who fought for the British were promised freedom and land, but many ended up with only misery and death in Nova Scotia. I really liked that the aftermath of the war was covered, but wanted more details about the war experiences of those involved.
The layout, graphics, and map are all very nice – I especially appreciated the map, ...more
The layout, graphics, and map are all very nice – I especially appreciated the map, ...more
I was very interested in this topic, something we certainly don't read much about in our American History books, but I don't think the author made the story as personal or interesting as she could have. It's still some great info on a little known topic, and worth your time.
An interesting but short look at something that is not looked in school. This would be a good resource to pair with Laurie Halse Anderson's Chains and Forge.
Very interesting book with some little know facts, but somewhat rambling and some context is unclear.
Great to use with Laurie Halse Anderson's Chains and Forge.
Erin
rated it
A short telling of the slaves who fought during the American Revolution on both sides. Some parts got a little bogged down in lists of names, which interrupted the flow of the story, but overall the tale was engaging. This nonfiction picture book is a little more juvenile than just for teens.
A wonderful resource for children reading Laurie Halse Anderson's Chains, this book provides historical documents, quotes, and artwork describing the experiences of African slaves who fought for the British during the Revolutionary War.
One Sentence Review: Disappointing, particularly when you consider how cool the subject matter is.
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