Preview
  • 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
  • Length: 13 hrs and 38 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (7 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

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

By: Judith L. Van Buskirk
Narrated by: Marlin May
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $24.95

Buy for $24.95

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

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
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

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)

What listeners say about Standing in Their Own Light: African American Patriots in the American Revolution

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    5
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    4
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    3
  • 4 Stars
    2
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Should be required reading

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

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!