The Black Regiment of the American Revolution

(Brennan, Linda Crotta, and Cheryl Kirk Noll. The Black regiment of the American Revolution . North Kingstown, R.I.: Moon Mountain Pub., 2004. Print.)

Summary: This book discusses the role African –Americans played in the American Revolution as members of the Rhode Island Black Regiment. It analyzes the motives for joining, how their lives were before joining, what their experience fighting was like, and how their lives were after the war ended.

Reading Level:  Ages 9-12.

Key words/phrases:

1.      American Revolution

2.      African-Americans

3.      Black Regiment

4.      Rhode Island

5.      Slaves

Suggested Delivery: Individual / Small group

Electronic Resources:

1.      Black Soldiers in the American Revolution: This PDF compliments the book by providing individuals background information on the blacks who served in the army.
2.       African Americans In The Revolutionary Period  by the National Park Service provides background for teachers on the involvement of African Americans in the Revolutionary War.

 

Teaching Suggestions:

Key Vocabulary: emancipation, regiment, pension, redoubt, privateer, musket, mulatto, militia

Reading strategies to increase comprehension:

         Before: Survey the book to get an overall picture of what the book will be about. Have the students Note the title and headings, skim the overview and summary and note what main ideas are covered. After surveying, turn each of the headings into a question. These questions give a purpose for reading as they will be answered as the book is read.

         During: The students will then read the text to answer the questions created in the before activities, helping the student to focus their attention on specific and key ideas. 

         After: After reading the whole book, or perhaps just a section, have the student try to answer their question from what they remember from the text. If the student cannot answer the question, have them go back and review this portion of the text to be able to answer their question. Have them jot sown a brief answer to their question to endure that they can answer the question in a concise manner. The have students review the main points in the book in order that they can put all the ideas together into one connected idea.

 

Writing activity demonstrating inferential comprehension: Write a poem or short story as a soldier in the black regiment expressing the emotions and experiences they would have experienced, making sure to describe his life before the war, and the changes it underwent because of the war, during and after the war ended.