Rough Crossings
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Rough Crossings: Britain, the Slaves and the American Revolution , by Simon Schama
| Author | Simon Schama |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | History |
| Publisher | BBC Books |
| Released | 2005 |
| Media type | Print (book) |
| Pages | 445 |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-06-053916-X |
This gives the little-known history of thousands of African-American slaves who fled the plantations to fight behind British lines in the American War of Independence. It tells of the legal battles in England that established that slavery was not legally valid in England itself. How the British government offered freedom to black slaves if they would fight for the king. Also the many ambiguities involved - some loyalists were slave-owners, some blacks were recruited for the War of Independence.
The book then follows the fate of black loyalists, how many were sent to Nova Scotia and were treated unfairly there. How some then settled in what was to become Sierra Leone
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