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ix Almost ten years ago, reflecting on the outpouring of literature following the publication of Gordon S. Wood’s The Radicalism of the American Revolution and the famous debate between James M. McPherson and Ira Berlin about “Who Freed the Slaves,” I became curious about how nineteenth-century blacks viewed the American Revolution. In particular, I wondered whether blacks in antebellum America considered the American Revolution over, and their ongoing struggle independent of that which their white neighbors had waged in the late eighteenth century, or if they believed the Revolution was still raging. I wondered whether Gordon Wood, defining the Revolution as a deep-rooted political and cultural transformation that spanned nearly one hundred years, ending in Jacksonian America, had stopped his periodization a little too soon. When I came upon Anthony Burns embracing Patrick Henry’s legendary words “Give me Liberty or Give me Death,” a philosophy that some 180,000 black Americans also embraced when they took up arms in the American Civil War and transformed it from a war for the Union into a war of liberation, I had my answers. Many people have helped me in the realization of this project, which had its genesis in a graduate research seminar at the College of William and Mary taught by Carol Sheriff, a brilliant professor who encouraged me to follow my curiosityandwhobecamethesecondreaderonadissertationcommitteethat most graduate students can only dream of having. Melvin Patrick Ely also provided much encouragement and lent his immeasurable talent and great wisdom as chair of the dissertation committee; Ronald Schechter and Kris Lane provided insights that strengthened the final product; and Robert A. Gross of the University of Connecticut, the external reader, identified key issues for me to explore and incorporate into this book. This work would not have been realized without the support of these remarkable scholars and wonderful individuals. Preface First Reflections x preface I have received valuable assistance from librarians and support staff at the Earl Gregg Swem Library of the College of William and Mary, the Bishop’s University Library, the James A. Gibson Library of Brock University, the Massachusetts Historical Society, the Boston Public Library, the St. Catharines Public Library, and the St. Catharines Museum. Bishop’s University also provided funding for additional research and prepublication expenses. Marjorie Dawson, Wilma Morrison, and Maggie Parnall, who shared with me their interest in imprinting Anthony Burns in our collective memory, provided me with inspiration and strengthened my determination to bring this project to fruition. Cheryl Porter helped me put together the final manuscript . Lastly, without the support of my family, who patiently put up with a scholar who must, at times, have seemed to be living in nineteenth-century America, this project never would have seen the light of day. My brother George listened to me for hours discussing antebellum race relations; my daughter Nadine spent much time doing research with a historian, dusting off old newspapers and other materials—hours that she might have spent with friends. Christiane, the love of my life, shared all my ups and downs throughout this project. To her I dedicate this work. ...

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