Liberty or Death: The Surprising Story of Runaway Slaves who Sided with the British During the American Revolution

by Margaret Whitman Blair

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 bravely for a losing cause. Many of the volunteers succumbed to battle wounds or smallpox, which ran rampant on the British ships on which they were quartered. After the successful Revolution, they emigrated to Canada and, ultimately to West Africa. Liberty or Death is the inspiring story of the forgotten freedom fighters of America’s Revolutionary War.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Cultural, Picture Books, Childrens, American Revolution, Chapter Books

64 pages, Hardcover

First published January 12, 2010

Reviews

[Sherry]

The British declared that slaves that fought for them in the American Revolution would win their freedom. Did the British keep their word? Somewhat.

The former slaves could go to England and face discrimination or go to the English-held colonies in Jamaica or Nova Scotia and face re-enslavement. Slavery was allowed in both colonies, so it was essential that those who fought for the British also be given land to prove their freedom. The land was slow to be distributed, and white Loyalists received better quality land than the former slaves.

As we know from history, the issue of slavery still wasn't settled until the Emancipation Proclamation nearly 100 years later, and some would say that black discrimination still exists.

[Stephanie]

I learned a lot from this book while reading it to my children. I never learned any of this history in public school.

[Marilin Equihua]

Middle School Historical Fiction:

Whitman Blair, Margaret (2010). Liberty or Death

Target audience: Ages 10-14

Setting: Years 1772 – 1808. Starting in the 13 colonies of North America, then Nova Scotia, Canada, and finally Sierra Leone, Africa

Characters/Plot/Summary: This book tells the story of slaves who ran away from their masters during the Revolutionary War in search of freedom and land. It narrates accounts of black Loyalist slaves who joined the British army when Lord Dunmore, governor of Williamsburg, Virginia, made a Proclamation that promised to free Loyalist slaves if they fought for the British. Many slaves fought courageously with the British troops, such as Colonel Tye, who helped steal provisions for the British. Many died in battle, while others died from terrible diseases such as smallpox. After the war, however, the promises made to the black Loyalist were not kept. Many of them moved to Nova Scotia in search of freedom and land, but they never received it. Others went to Sierra Leone with the same false promises. Although freedom was also harsh and difficult, by 1808 the British banned slavery in Sierra Leone and the black Loyalists were finally completely free.

Personal critique/strengths/weaknesses: The author was able to provide accurate historical accounts from the perspective of runaway slaves. There is a lot of information provided in a way that is easy to follow for the target audience. The language used is also appropriate. Although the scenes depicted can be disturbing, the author presented them in an appropriate manner. The Timeline and Resource Guide at the end of the book are also helpful to the reader.

Illustrations: This book includes various paintings and illustrations to depict the many scenes described in the text. Some paintings depict disturbing war scenes of death. All paintings and illustrations included depict life during the American Revolution giving a clear picture to the readers.

Education: Educators can use this book to teach about slavery and the Revolutionary War. It can provide students with a different perspective than most social studies textbooks usually show.

[Karen Ball]

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 that call fought, worked, and spied for the British during the American Revolution. They risked everything they had for freedom and the promise of a new start. At the end of the war, the British sent about 3,000 of them to Nova Scotia, and when that didn't work out as promised, about half of those were sent to start a new life back in Africa, in the colony of Sierra Leone. This is a fascinating look at a part of our history that isn't well known at all. Lots of images of documents, quotes and personal stories of the slaves involved as well as paintings and images of the time make this a stellar choice for 6th grade and up --especially appropriate for 8th graders, since they study American history.

[Heidi]

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 New York were given a chance to prove that they should be free and given the opportunity to leave American shores, but many slaves outside of New York, remained in slavery. Even those who received freedom, were not given equal treatment. For example, some black loyalists moved north to Canada, but few received the land they had been promised.

The narrative is clear and easy to follow. The illustrations provide a nice touch and give the reader a glimpse into the experiences of slaves during the time period. The organization of the book helps the reader understand what happened to the slaves both during and after the American Revolution.

[Cornmaven]

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 readers' interest or she didn't have detailed enough primary source material. I couldn't decide. In the end, I think I would have welcomed a fictionalized account, much like Laurie Halse Anderson's Chains, than this presentation. It just didn't grip me - although I did like the paintings in the book as a way to tell the story.

[Donna]

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, which showed the slave trade and emigration routes across the Atlantic.

One thing I learned is that the smallpox inoculations practiced at the time actually helped to save some lives. This is a different perspective from the horrific inoculation scenes in Octavian Nothing.

[Miri]

Yet another important part of history that's glossed over when the textbooks are written by white men. Patrick Henry's words, which I vividly remember studying in eleventh-grade English, have a sickening ring to them when you hear them through the ears of Henry's slaves. But I especially loved reading about the establishment of Freetown in Sierra Leone, which just seems to show how simple it is for people to recreate themselves—when they don't have to do it within the framework of their oppressors. Not that it went perfectly, but then again, they weren't completely free of that framework, either. In any case, this book is a concise and excellent resource that I would love to see used in history classes alongside Howard Zinn.

[Arlene Szalay]

This can be used as a non-fiction common core resource. It describes the history of how the Loyalists recruited slaves in the Revolutionary war and what happened to them during and after the war. There is a shorter discussion of blacks (sometime frees and sometimes not) who fought for the Americans. This would be a great book to pair with Laurie Halse Anderson's Chains and Forge. There are lots of aspects that could be compared and contrasted and/or argumentative essays could be assigned.

[Zachary Alcorn]

Many students might never learned about the slaves who were torn between two sides during the revolutionary war. This shows their struggles and some of the choices they had to make to survive. They did this because they wanted freedom. This book has a lot of strength in it. I really liked this book because i love wars and this is a good book to see a new perspective of this war.

[Donalyn]

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.

[Chrissy]

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.

[Erin]

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.

[Betsy]

One Sentence Review: Disappointing, particularly when you consider how cool the subject matter is.

[Rachel]

Very interesting book with some little know facts, but somewhat rambling and some context is unclear.

[Jess]

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.

[Amanda Hlava]

http://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8=...#

[Crystal]

Great to use with Laurie Halse Anderson's Chains and Forge.