Standing in Their Own Light: African American Patriots in the American Revolution

Campaigns and Commanders Series, Book 59

By: Judith L. Van Buskirk

Narrated by: Marlin May

The Revolutionary War encompassed at least two struggles: one for freedom from British rule, and another, quieter but no less significant fight for the liberty of African Americans, thousands of whom fought in the Continental Army. Standing in Their Own Light restores these African American patriots to their rightful place in the historical struggle for independence and the end of racial oppression.

Revolutionary era African Americans began their lives in a world that hardly questioned slavery; they finished their days in a world that increasingly contested the existence of the institution. Mining firsthand sources that include black veterans’ pension files, Judith L. Van Buskirk examines how the struggle for independence moved from the battlefield to the courthouse - and how personal conflicts contributed to the larger struggle against slavery and legal inequality. Black veterans claimed an American identity based on their willing sacrifice on behalf of American independence.

Van Buskirk deftly places her findings in the changing context of the time. She notes the varied conditions of slavery before the war, the different degrees of racial integration across the Continental Army, and the war’s divergent effects on both northern and southern states. Her efforts retrieve black patriots’ experiences from historical obscurity and reveal their importance in the fight for equal rights - even though it would take another war to end slavery in the United States.

The book is published by University of Oklahoma Press. The audiobook will be published by University Press Audiobooks.

©2017 University of Oklahoma Press (P)2018 Redwood Audiobooks

Critic reviews

“This thoughtful, deeply researched, well-written book makes a big contribution to understanding the Revolution in its liberating but tragic ambiguity.” (Edward Countryman, author of Enjoy the Same Liberty: Black Americans and the Revolutionary Era)

Should be required reading

Every American needs to know this story. An outstanding book, impressively researched and compellingly written.

Incredible

Exhaustively researched and compellingly and lucidly told. The lives of these great men and women come alive. The sting of American injustice is acute. We must do more to turn America rightside-up.

Required Reading

To understand the nuance of American History that isn’t through some Critical lens but through actual testimony and written statement, this is a must read. Only gripe is the author occasionally does pontificate on the state of being that some individuals may have had in their testimonials yet has no ability to make such an assumption. Otherwise a good book filled with nuance.