The Rhode Island Black Battalion, 1775-1783

   Thursday February 10, 2022 at 7:00PM         

"The Context and Importance of The Rhode Island Black Battalion, 1775-1783"

An Illustrated Lecture

By Dr. Richard Lobban,
       Professor Emeritus of Anthropology and Afro-American Studies, RI College;
       Former Vice President, RI Black Heritage Society;
       Adjunct Professor of African Studies, Naval War College

     More SHOTS HEARD ROUND THE WORLD…The historical context for the mustering of the RI Black Battalion is much neglected, yet it was very important in the success of the American Revolution in general and for the end of slavery in Rhode Island.  They fought as early as 1775  at the Siege of Boston on through significant battles in NY and NJ. They spent the miserable winter at Valley Forge and then the significant Battle of Rhode Island in Portsmouth in 1778. Finally they went on to Siege at Yorktown in 1783 and the defeat of the British; the birth of independent America and the gradual end of slavery in RI.