Answering the Cry for Freedom: Stories of African Americans and the American Revolution

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From the Publisher

THE STORY OF A HIDDEN CHAPTER OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

The thirteen people in this book include men and women, free and enslaved, northern and southern, African-born and American-born; soldiers, preachers, farmers, a sea captain, a poet…

They had heard the claim that all people are free and equal. They believed it.

Learn about the risks they took, the hardships they faced, and the victories they won.

I, young in life, by seeming cruel fate

Was snatch’d from Afric’s fancy’d happy seat:

————————–

Such, such my case. And can I then but pray

Others may never feel tyrannic sway?

—— Phillis Wheatley

“I began to feel the HAPPINESS OF LIBERTY, of which I knew NOTHING before.”

Boston King, an enslaved South Carolinian, escaped to the British army, gained his freedom, and fought for his liberators. Agrippa Hull, born free, joined the Continental army when he was eighteen. He traveled thousands of miles away from home, served under famous Revolutionary heroes, and witnessed large-scale slavery in the south. James Armistead Lafayette, enslaved in Virginia, joined the Continental army and became a spy for the Americans, then a double agent.

No one could teach Phillis Wheatley how to balance her two worlds—polite white society and her African heritage—for no one shared her position. But Phillis learned how to do it—with poetry. What’s more, she used poetry to speak about the fractious politics of the day. Phillis Wheatley dared to speak her truth to the world: she was proud to be a poet, a Christian, and an African American.

In Philadelphia’s St. George’s Methodist Church, African Americans were not allowed downstairs with the white worshipers. Richard Allen fought against the rule by leading the entire black congregation down the stairs and out of the church. Their dramatic protest made it clear that Allen and his friends believed that “all men are created equal.”

How is ANSWERING THE CRY FOR FREEDOM relevant to kids today?

Even though the thirteen people in Answering the Cry lived a long time ago under very different circumstances, we share many of their feelings and longings. Sometimes they were unsure of themselves, afraid, and confused. They made mistakes. We can all relate to these experiences. Answering the Cry demonstrates that people don’t have to become famous like Richard Allen and Phillis Wheatley to make a difference… I hope readers will see that there are many ways to lead an honorable life. I also hope the book will inspire readers to look for other untold stories, not only in history but also in their own families, in their communities. Everyone has a story to tell.

—— Gretchen Woelfle, author of the book

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Calkins Creek; Illustrated edition (October 4, 2016)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 162979306X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1629793061
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 9 – 12 years
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1040L
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 4 – 7
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.85 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.31 x 0.91 x 10.31 inches