Historian Gene Allen Smith takes us back to the turbulent time of the early ninteenth century when African-Americans were at a crossroads. Thousands had tried to enlist in the British Army during the Revolutionary War, and so in the aftermath both slaves and free blacks were treated with suspicion and distrust. Tensions were then reignited during the War of 1812.
Smith uses this as a lanching pad to reveal how African Americans were treated in early American conflicts including those between the British, Spanish and Native American Tribes. Through original research he details how the conflicts offered diverse possibilities and for freedom to those held in bondage.
A fascinating look at a forgtten and dark saga of early American history.