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Standing in Their Own Light: African American Patriots in the American Revolution (Campaigns and Commanders Series Book 59) Kindle Edition

by Judith L. Van Buskirk (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 36 ratings
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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. Because these veterans left few letters or diaries, their story has remained largely untold, and the significance of their service largely unappreciated. 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. Judith L. Van Buskirk traces this shift to the wartime experiences of African Americans. Mining firsthand sources that include black veterans’ pension files, 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. And abolitionists, citing the contributions of black soldiers, adopted the tactics and rhetoric of revolution, personal autonomy, and freedom.

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.
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  1. Part of series
    Campaigns and Commanders Series
  2. Print length
    313 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publisher
    University of Oklahoma Press
  6. Publication date
    March 16, 2017
  7. File size
    7924 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“In Judith Van Buskirk’s Standing in Their Own Light, black soldiers wage their own American revolution. They liberated themselves and helped to start slavery’s long and difficult destruction, only to be scorned, forgotten, and excluded from the new republic’s blessings. 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

About the Author

Judith L. Van Buskirk is Professor of History at the State University of New York, Cortland, and the author of Generous Enemies: Patriots and Loyalists in Revolutionary New York.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B06XH5C2DH
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of Oklahoma Press (March 16, 2017)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 16, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 7924 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 313 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 36 ratings

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
36 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Robert Davis Jr.
5.0 out of 5 stars exactly as promised
Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2023
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exactly as promised
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2022
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Just started reading it and it is difficult to put down!
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Shelley Murphy
5.0 out of 5 stars Telling the truth, the whole truth---We were there!
Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2017
Verified Purchase
This has so much history contained in the pages I was just overwhelmed. Love it as I research African American Revolutionary Soldiers. This is a gold mine of records and resources. Thank you Judith for telling the stories. You did make the soldiers just off the pages.
13 people found this helpful
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Albert A. Nofi
5.0 out of 5 stars Unsung Patriots of the Revolutionary War
Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2018
A summary of the review on StrategyPage"

'Prof. Van Buskirk (SUNY Cortland), the author of "Generous Enemies", on Revolutionary New York, has written an excellent account of the service of some 5,000 African-American men in the Continental Army. She opens by noting two major problems in studying the role of these solders; Black troops mostly served integrated in white ranks and unit rolls often omitted mention of race, and those who served left fewer letters, diaries, memoirs, and such. Nevertheless, building on the pioneering work of William C. Nell (1851) and Benjamin Quarles (1961), and perusing available first hand accounts, as well as newspapers, pension records, , and other documents, Van Buskirk was able to secure detailed evidence on 500 of these men. She gives us a look at the social environment in which they lived, the reasons they joined, ranging from of belief in the cause to the desire to secure freedom through service, and their experiences in military life. Van Buskirk devotes a chapter to Rhode Island’s two all black regiments and one to John Laurens’ unsuccessful proposal to raise a brigade of African-American troops. Two chapters trace the experiences of black veterans in the post war era, during which they often had to struggle to secure pensions. Running through her account we find interesting profiles of some of these Patriots as well as instances of both high praise for them from men such as George Washington, and from others biased denigration of their valor, skill, and service. This is an excellent work on the role of black men in the Revolutionary War.'

For the full review, see StrategyPage.
7 people found this helpful
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Dr. Eugene D. Betit
4.0 out of 5 stars Less than I expected about the Rhode Island Battalion/Regiment
Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2022
Verified Purchase
The authors share a wealth of background about Rhode Island's situation when the unit was organized, but not so much new material on the unit itself. This unit was unique in many ways. Interestingly, the property owners of RI soon rescinded authorization for the regiment; as usual, the lack of military-age whites precipitated the decision to accept blacks.
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Student of the Revolution
4.0 out of 5 stars Not a Battle History ...
Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2019
of African Americans in the revolution as such, but more of a social study of their experiences and times, plus later years. Much fascinating information, especially about the two pension acts. Van Buskirk certainly highlights the many challenges faced by these veterans, presented by both the enemy and the Americans. The author details especially interesting contrasts between how the north and south treated these men. Plus the similarities. A bit repetitive in places, but very enlightening. Certainly recommended.
4 people found this helpful
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