Summary Of From Slaves To Soldiers By Robert A. Geake

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The 1st Rhode Island Regiment in the American Revolutionary War was also known as the “Black Regiment” due to the fact that it allowed the recruitment of African Americans and Native Americans. The book “From Slaves to Soldiers” by Robert A. Geake tells the story of the regiment and their acts of heroism and misfortunes. In 1828, the Honorable Trist am Burges, a representative of Rhode Island, told congress that, “No braver men met the enemy in battle, but no one was permitted to be a soldier until he had first been made a freeman. In January 1778 Rhode Island was having a difficult time meeting troop quotas set by the Continental Congress, which led to a General James Varnum urging General George Washington to enlist slaves in The Continental