Take the Newport Black History Walking Tour from our partner RISHM!
Newport Black History Walking Tours is a unique walk-through-history experience that has been made possible by RI Slave History Medallions.
Timeline of the Service and Formation of the 1st Rhode Island Regiment
Explore our new timeline covering the formation and service of the racially diverse 1st Rhode Island Regiment during the American Revolution by historian Robert Geake.
Black Soldiers of Liberty
Estimates have appeared in print for generations that 3,000 to 5,000 Black soldiers served in the American military in the Revolution.
Local enslaved men fought in Revolutionary War
For centuries, many towns failed to acknowledge the contributions of Black soldiers in the War of Independence. Only in 2021 were Jamestown slaves first identified by public historian Peter Fay and honored by the town. They had been sold to the rebel government and promised their freedom for serving.
Creative Survival: Africans as Mariners in Colonial Rhode Island
The introduction of African bondage was a transformative experience that lasted over a span of four centuries and shaped the settlement, economic, religious and cultural growth of the Western Hemisphere.
Should They Stay or Should They Go? Rhode Island Black Loyalists after the American Revolution
In late 1779 Newport’s black residents, free or enslaved, faced a predicament: should they stay or should they go? Should they choose freedom but risk an uncertain future under British protection, or should they stay enslaved in wartime Rhode Island?
A Fight for Freedom and Dignity: The Recruitment, Service , and Legacy of the 1st Rhode Island Regiment
The attempted formation of a regiment of soldiers composed entirely of enslaved men who had enlisted to earn them their freedom.
