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Epic Journeys of Freedom

Runaway Slaves of the American Revolution and Their Global Quest for Liberty

Author: Cassandra Pybus Foreword by: Ira Berlin

The astounding story of runaway slaves during the American Revolution and the lives they forged on four continents

During the American Revolution, thousands of slaves fled from their masters to find freedom with the British. Having emancipated themselves--and with rhetoric about the inalienable rights of free men ringing in their ears--these men and women struggled tenaciously to make liberty a reality in their lives.

This alternative narrative includes the stories of dozens of individuals--including Harry, one of George Washington’s slaves--who left America and forged difficult new lives in far-flung corners of the British Empire. Written in the best tradition of history from the bottom up, this pathbreaking work will alter the way we think about the American Revolution.

“Through her meticulous research and an engaging narrative, Pybus provides a superb collective biography of those slaves during the American Revolution who dared to pursue their dreams of freedom. This book would be an appropriate addition to either African-American History or Revolutionary War collections.”
—Clark E. Heath (AASL) Southfield Lathrup High School, Lathrup Village, MI

“This book shines because of Ms. Cassandra Pybus’s stellar research. Her description of the upheaval surrounding the American Revolution is sound . . . Cassandra Pybus’s book adds much needed historical documentation to a group of people who have largely been forgotten by history. Every school and public library should own a copy of this book.”
—Christina Maria Beaird (PLA), Plainfield Public Library District, Plainfield, IL

“An impressive and extremely important work.”
-Library Journal, starred review

“A significant contribution to contemporary studies of the Black Atlantic.”
-Publishers Weekly

“What a gripping narrative . . . [and] an awesome achievement.” —Alfred F. Young, author of The Shoemaker and the Tea Party