Even as American Patriots fought for independence from British rule during the Revolutionary War, oppressive conditions remained in place for the thousands of enslaved and free African Americans living in this country. But African Americans took up their own fight for freedom by joining the British and American armies; preaching, speaking out, and writing about the evils of slavery; and establishing settlements in Nova Scotia and Africa. The thirteen stories featured in this collection spotlight charismatic individuals who answered the cry for freedom, focusing on the choices they made and how they changed America both then and now. These individuals include: Boston King, Agrippa Hull, James Armistead Lafayette, Phillis Wheatley, Elizabeth "Mumbet" Freeman, Prince Hall, Mary Perth, Ona Judge, Sally Hemings, Paul Cuffe, John Kizell, Richard Allen, and Jarena Lee. Includes individual bibliographies and timelines, author note, and source notes.

 

This book is the winner of numerous awards. It was recognised by the Kansas State Reading Circle Recommended Books. It was recognised in the Trade Books for Young People category by the National Council for Social Studies & Children's Book Council. It also was recognised in the Best of the Best category by the Chicago Public Library Awards.

There are 240 pages in this book. This book was published 2016 by Boyds Mills Press .

J. Patrick Lewis is the Poetry Foundation's 2011-2013 Children's Poet Laureate. He is the award-winning author of more than 75 books for young people and lives in Westerville, Ohio. R. Gregory Christie lives in Brooklyn, New York. Gretchen Woelfle is an award-winning author. Her first book, "The Wind at Work: An Activity Guide to Windmills, "led to her second book, "Katje the Windmill Cat, "followed by "Animal Families, Animals Friends. "Her stories and essays haved appeared in "Cricket, Spider, "and "Cicada "magazines and in the anthology series Stories from Where We Live (Milkweed Edition). She lives in Los Angeles.