Rough Crossings
The Slaves, the British, and the American Revolution
HarperCollins · Print & ebook · May 1, 2007
“The most dramatic account so far of the extraordinary expeience of slaves in and after the American Revolution. . . .
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- Who it’s for
- A vivid account of enslaved people’s choices and upheaval during the American Revolution.
- Themes
- Slavery and emancipation, Black people in the American Revolution, Escape and exodus
- Pacing
- Fast
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For younger readers: Countdown to Independence, To Be a Slave, Now Is Your Time!
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Start with this bookAbout this book
“The most dramatic account so far of the extraordinary expeience of slaves in and after the American Revolution. . . . Schama’s gift for plunging us into the very center of the action makes reading an exhilarating and often moving experience.”—Daily Telegraph If you were black in America at the start of the Revolutionary War, whom would you want to win?
Continue reading
In response to a declaration by the last governor of Virginia that any rebel-owned slave who escaped and served the King would be emancpated, tens of thousands of blacks voted with feet, escaping to fight beside the British. Originally designed to break the plantations of the American South, this military strategy instead unleashed one of the great exoduses in American history. Told in the voices of the slaves and the white abolitionists who aided them, Simon Schama vividly details the odyssey of these escaped blacks, shedding light on an extraordinary chapter in America’s birth.
History in Many Voices
A vivid account of enslaved people’s choices and upheaval during the American Revolution.
Come here for
- A less familiar chapter in America’s founding
- History told through enslaved people’s and abolitionists’ voices
Expect
- An odyssey shaped by escape and wartime allegiance
- A vivid, often moving reading experience
Where it sits
| Revolutionary America (1775-1800) | 81% |
|---|---|
| Black History | 61% |
| Slavery Studies | 55% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Georgian Britain (1714-1837)
- Revolutionary History
- Slavery Studies
- Authors
- Simon Schama
- Publisher
- HarperCollins
- Published
- May 1, 2007
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- Slavery and emancipation · Black people in the American Revolution · Escape and exodus
- Reading lane
- Georgian Britain (1714-1837)