Black American Patriots - Biblical Classical Community

American history is complex, no doubt about it. The Black Patriots of the American Revolution are important to learn about because they contributed to the advancement Liberty for all in America. To be sure, Liberty for all happened over the course of time. However, it’s important to note that America was taking steps in the right direction.

Historian and author Dr. Carter G. Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASALH). He initiated Black History Week in February 1926. He intentionally selected the week in February that includes Abraham Lincoln’s and Frederick Douglas’s birthdays. This is because they were key individuals who helped advance God’s idea of Liberty for all. However, in 1976 ASALH extended the commemoration of Black History from a week to a month.

Pigments of Patriots

Biblical Classical Education teaches the Biblical worldview that all of humanity is one race, the human race. We embrace the scientific evidence through General Revelation that we’re not “black and white”—everyone is brown. As Heather Hall explains, “From an artistic lens, we’re either a tint or a shade of brown.” Additionally, we embrace the truth that God made one man from every nation per Revealed Law (Acts 17:26). Teaching with context aids the students in seeing the Big Picture of Liberty while also acknowledging the reality of stains in our nation’s history.

The American Revolutionary Period

Biblical Classical Community honors the memory of the Black American Patriots because they contributed to the cause of Liberty for all. Their contribution to America was before Frederick Douglas’s and Abraham Lincoln’s contributions. Therefore, Biblical Classical Education places a study of the Black American Patriots on the timeline under the Revolutionary War link.

Revolutionary War Soldiers

Voluntarily, the Black American Patriots joined the American Revolutionary War for the cause of Liberty. They understood the principles that would create a free nation and unite Americans. They embraced the True, Good, and Beautiful idea of Liberty according to the Biblical worldview.

Poet of the American Revolution Era

Contributions toward the advancement of Liberty for all didn’t only happen on the battle fields. The phrase “the pen is mightier than the sword”(1) rings true.

Poetess Phyllis Wheatley (ca. 1753–1784) is one of the most notable of Black American Patriots. She was born in Africa and was sold to into slavery as a small child. At a later time, she was purchased by a Boston merchant named John Wheatley. Mrs. Wheatley provided Phyllis with educational advantages (no tax funds involved by the way) and she became a remarkable figure in American Literature.

She had visited England in 1773 with Nathan Wheatley, the son of John Wheatley. Not long after that trip, Phyllis was emancipated. She eventually married and had three children. Sadly, her three children died young. She died when she was 31 years old.

One of her most famous works are her poems His Excellency George Washington and Liberty and Peace.

Black American Patriots Course

Biblical Classical teacher Ted Lamb will be debuting his latest course Black American Patriots. Be among the first to know when it launches by getting on Biblical Classical Community’s email list.

In Summary

Biblical Classical Community appreciates the Black Patriots in America’s history who have helped advance Liberty for all. Furthermore, we value their contribution toward uniting Americans on the Principles of Liberty.

Footnote 1: Quote by Edward Bulwer-Lytton in his 1839 play Richelieu; Or the Conspiracy