Black Patriots and Loyalists

This insightful work reexamines the American Revolution, revealing how the fight for independence intertwined with the struggle for black emancipation, as depicted in Black Patriots and Loyalists.

In Black Patriots and Loyalists, Alan Gilbert challenges the conventional narrative of the American Revolution, urging readers to reconsider the complexities of freedom during this pivotal period. While the war is often framed as a struggle for independence from British rule, Gilbert highlights the fact that this freedom was not universally accessible. He reveals that many black Americans, in their quest for liberation, aligned themselves with the British forces, seeking a different path to emancipation.

The narrative unfolds to show that the American Revolution was not merely a political upheaval but also a social revolution, with two distinct wars occurring simultaneously. One was the fight for independence, while the other was a battle for emancipation and equality. Gilbert emphasizes the critical role that both black and white sailors played in advocating for freedom, illustrating that the struggle for liberation was deeply intertwined with the quest for national independence.

Through extensive research, Black Patriots and Loyalists presents compelling evidence that the abolition of slavery could have been achieved during the Revolution had either side fully embraced the military potential of freeing slaves. The book shines a light on the significant contributions of free blacks in the conflict, arguing that their efforts were vital to the war's outcome and laid the groundwork for future emancipation movements, including the abolition societies in the North and the black loyalist migrations seeking freedom in Nova Scotia and Sierra Leone.