America's Black Founders: Revolutionary Heroes & Early Leaders with 21 Activities (32)

by Nancy I. Sanders

History books are replete with heroic stories of Washington, Jefferson, and Adams, but what of Allen, Russwurm, and Hawley? America’s Black Founders celebrates the lesser known but significant lives and contributions of our nation’s early African American leaders. Many know that the Revolutionary War’s first martyr, Crispus Attucks, a dockworker of African descent, was killed at the Boston Massacre. But far fewer know that the final conflict of the war, the Battle of Yorktown, was hastened to a conclusion by James Armistead Lafayette, a slave and spy who reported the battle plans of General Cornwallis to George Washington.

 

Author Nancy Sanders weaves the histories of dozens of men and women—soldiers, sailors, ministers, poets, merchants, doctors, and other community leaders—who have earned proper recognition among the founders of the United States of America. To get a better sense of what these individuals accomplished and the times in which they lived, readers will celebrate Constitution Day, cook colonial foods, publish a newspaper, petition their government, and more. This valuable resource also includes a time line of significant events, a list of historic sites to visit or explore online, and Web resources for further study.

Genres: Nonfiction, American Revolution, History, American History, Childrens

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Nancy I. Sanders is the bestselling and award-winning children's author of over 100 books. Her children's books include D IS FOR DRINKING GOURD: AN AFRICAN AMERICAN ALPHABET, AMERICA'S BLACK FOUNDERS, and FREDERICK DOUGLASS FOR KIDS. She loves to teach writers at writing conferences and teleclasses so that they can take their writing career to the next level. Her workshops are based on her groundbreaking book, YES! YOU CAN LEARN HOW TO WRITE CHILDREN'S BOOKS, GET THEM PUBLISHED, AND BUILD A SUCCESSFUL WRITING CAREER. Nancy and her husband Jeff live near Los Angeles.

Reviews

[Darryl Bullock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book. It tells a story about our Black founders. I believe “American Black Founders” tells a story that should be told today in our textbooks so we can better understand what made us great as a nation.

One of my favorite leaders in the book was Richard Allen. I loved his quote:

“If you love your children, if you love your country, if you love the God of love, clear your hands from slaves.” (pg. 8)

There are three points that I would like to highlight from the quoate:
He loved his country.
He loved freedom.
He loved the Christian religion most of all.

The remarkable fact about this founder is that his faith first influenced his freedom (pg. 28-31).

“He decided to accept the Christian faith. Suddenly, for the first time in his entire life. Allen tasted freedom.” (29 pg)

The story of how Richard Allen was converted to Chrianity at the age of 17 and led his master to the Lord was a story we all should know. It is a wonderful story of freedom. Later in 1787, Richard Allen formed an organization called the Free African Society which did a lot to influence the Constitution Convention (pg. 80-83). It was the first organization for Blacks, run by Blacks in our history. At the time, Richard Allen was only 27 years old.

Richard Allen had a deep love for his country, he raised an army of two thousand men to defend Philadelphia in the War of 1812. He, Absolm Jones, and James Forten were ready to defend themselves agianst the British, but fortunately no attack came. Richard Allen was my favority of the founding fathers.

I also liked the stories of the Black heroes of the Revolutionary War. Prince Estabrook was known a the first African American soldier to serve in the war. A slave, Peter Salem, is known as one of the heroes at Bunker Hill. He also served at the battles of Saratoga and Stony Point (pg. 38-39). The story of the Black Paul Revere is most interesting, he fought at the battle of Saratoga (pg. 40). Last but not least I loved the story of the Black Declaration of Independents signed in 1773 (pg. 34-35). Here is a quote from it:

“We have no property. We have no wives. No children. We have no city. No country. But we have a Father in Heaven…” (pg. 29)

This was a fun book to read. The book “American Black Founders” is a book I would highly recommend for everyone.

[Bookbag_Betty · Rating 2 out of 5]

God Bless Our Native Land
Her Homes And Children Bless
Oh May She Ever Stand
For Truth And Righteousness.

If You Love Your Children, If You Love Your Country, If You Love The God Of Love, Clear Your Hands From Slaves.

When In The Course Of Human Events...

It Becomes Necessary For One People To Dissolve The Political Bands...

We Hold Theses Truths To Be Self-Evident...

That All Men Are Created Equal...

That They Are Endowed by Their Creator With Certain Unalienable Rights...

Life, Liberty And The Pursuit Of Happiness...

TRAVELED TO // The Original 13
MET ALONG THE WAY // Richard Allen & America's Black Founders

[Carson Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Biography
America's Black Founders is a great resource for a lot of information on black people who have inspired change in America. It mostly follows the life of Richard Allen but also features other leaders like Prince Hall, George Middleton, and Frank Johnson. These stories are also told with accompanying activities so you can have more context for what is being said. I would use this text in a 5th-grade classroom.

One idea for a classroom activity would be to have students create a museum exhibit about one of the people in this book. They would need to do more research and create an exhibit about their life.
Another idea is to create a timeline like the one in the front of the book, but use different events that influenced America.

This was a wow book for me because I did not realize how many of these people I did not know. I felt ashamed for not knowing how they lived their lives, and it inspired me to research them more. I think a book that makes you go out and learn more about something did a really great job.

[Jenny Preston · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good overview of Black Americans involved in the Revolutionary era. It reads like a textbook - lots of facts, lacking in narrative. Dozens of names are mentioned - far too many to keep track of. Some of the activities look good. I can use this as a reference or in a book basket, but it wouldn't work to teach from.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The organization could be a bit clearer, and the information in the body of the text sometimes repeats what’s in the sidebars, but this is still a very valuable resource that fills a gap in our school library material on this time period.

[Erica · Rating 2 out of 5]

The content was excellent, but the organization seemed lacking. I believe that the book was meant to chronicle the life of Richard Allen - and it did so. This chronicle, however, was interrupted at the oddest points with information on other Black Founders which disrupted the flow.

I did learn a lot, but found myself skimming through to read the excerpts about other Black Founders versus reading the book from cover-to-cover.

[Terry]

This is an excellent resource that is beautifully designed with lots of illustrations, documents, and maps. This is a book I'd buy, especially if I was teaching. Every school library should have a copy!

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