{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"434 Freeborn Black Soldiers in the American Revolution","description":"What would you fight for if you were free but still not equal? In 1777, brothers William and Benjamin Frank answered that question by enlisting in the Second Rhode Island Regiment of the Continental Army. Freeborn men of color, they gambled that military service would earn them what freedom alone had not: equality, land, and a better future. Historian Shirley Green, author of Revolutionary Blacks: Freeborn Men of Color, Soldiers of Independence, joins us to tell their story. Drawing on genealogical research rooted in her own family history, Green reveals what daily life looked like for free Black families in Revolutionary Rhode Island, how the Frank Brothers fought at the Battles of Red Bank, Monmouth, and Rhode Island, and how the Revolution ultimately divided them\u2014one brother serving through Yorktown, the other crossing to the British side and resettling in Nova Scotia as a Black Loyalist. Their story is a window into the full range of Black experiences during the Revolution, and a reminder that for men like William and Benjamin Frank, choosing a side was never simple. It was a calculated gamble, shaped by promises made\u2014and promises broken. Shirley\u2019s Website | Book | Show Notes: https:\/\/www.benfranklinsworld.com\/434   EPISODE OUTLINE 00:00:00  Introduction 00:01:19 The Frank Brothers' Revolutionary Choices 00:05:14 Discovering the Frank Brothers Through Family Oral History 00:09:01 Blending Genalogy and Microhistory 00:15:22 Life for Free Black Families in Early Rhode Island 00:20:50 Why Free Black Men Joined the Continental Army 00:24:00 Motivations: Land, Pay, and Equality 00:29:15 The Gamble of Military Service Amid Policy Shifts 00:41:13 Daily Life and Combat in the Integrated Regiments 00:44:46 Ben Frank's Desertion 00:52:51 The Book of Negroes 01:00:02 Postwar Outcomes: Did Promises of Land, Pay, and Equality Hold? 01:02:47 Lessons from Black Soldiers' Experiences 01:07:26 Conclusion RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES \ud83c\udfa7 Episode 118: The Business of Slavery in Rhode Island \ud83c\udfa7 Episode 157: African American Soldiers in the Continental Army \ud83c\udfa7 Episode 301: From Inoculation to Vaccination, Part 1 \ud83c\udfa7 Episode 333: Disruptions in Yorktown \ud83c\udfa7 Episode 348: Valley Forge \ud83c\udfa7 Episode 413: Dr. Joseph Warren & the Battle of Bunker Hill \ud83c\udfa7 Episode 424: Dunmore's Proclamation & the American Revolution in Virginia \ud83c\udfa7 Episode 427: How States Are Planning the 250th of the American Revolution SUPPORT OUR WORK \ud83c\udf81 Make a Donation to Ben Franklin\u2019s World REQUEST A TOPIC \ud83d\udce8 Topic Request Form \ud83d\udceb liz@benfranklinsworld.com WHEN YOU'RE READY \ud83d\uddde\ufe0f BFW Gazette Newsletter  \ud83d\udc69\u200d\ud83d\udcbb Join the BFW Listener Community \ud83c\udf0d Join the History Explorers Club TAKE THE QUIZ \ud83e\udded Discover How You Explore History (under 2 minutes) \ud83d\udc49 https:\/\/www.benfranklinsworld.com\/quiz LISTEN \ud83c\udfa7 \ud83c\udf4e Apple Podcasts  \ud83d\udc9a Spotify  \ud83c\udfb6 Amazon Music \ud83d\udedc Pandora CONNECT \ud83e\udd8b Liz on Bluesky \ud83d\udc69\u200d\ud83d\udcbb Liz on LinkedIn \ud83d\udedc Liz\u2019s Website SAY THANKS \ud83d\udc9c Leave a review on Apple Podcasts \ud83d\udc9a Leave a rating on Spotify *Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast. ","author_name":"Ben Franklin's World","author_url":"http:\/\/www.benfranklinsworld.com","html":"