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 Ages 18+/ No Registration Required/Program is at The Nesmith Library

One of the most interesting aspects of the American Revolution is the role played by African Americans in the fight for independence, and on Wednesday, March 18 at 6 PM, historian and author, Glenn Knoblock will tell us their stories. Both free African Americans and those that were enslaved were key in manning state militias and Continental Army units, as well as serving on the high seas in the Navy and on privately armed ships. Prohibited from serving in military units and largely considered "undesirable elements," how is it that these African-American soldiers came to fight for the cause of liberty, even when their own personal liberty was not guaranteed? Glenn will examine the history of African-American soldiers' service during the war, including how and why they enlisted, their interaction with white soldiers, service on the battlefields, how they were perceived by the enemy and the officers under whom they served, and their treatment after the war. This program is made possible by a generous grant from the New Hampshire Humanities.

Glenn A. Knoblock is an independent scholar and author of over twenty books. Knoblock has served as the main military contributor to Harvard and Oxford University's landmark African American National Biography, and he has also written for the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. His work documents a wide variety of subjects in New Hampshire and New England history, including African American history, historic cemeteries and grave markers, as well as covered bridges, the Kancamagus Highway, and New Hampshire's loon population. He holds a B.A. in History from Bowling Green State University.