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  • 15 hours ago
When the Declaration of Independence was signed 250 years ago, the Founders – many of whom were slaveholders – declared: “all men are created equal.” As their aspirational words and ideals of freedom were signed into existence and spread throughout the colonies, Black people recognized that these ideas included them. DECLARATIONS: BLACK AMERICANS AND THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR examines how they fought for these tenets of democracy for themselves, their families, and their communities. The film features insights from historians and scholars including Leslie Alexander, Danielle Allen, Edward Ayers, Christopher L. Brown, Woody Holton, and others.
Transcript
00:00When the Declaration of Independence is authored,
00:04black people fought for their inclusion in the country,
00:08even at times when the country
00:10wouldn't necessarily want them there.
00:12The stories of Harry Washington,
00:15James Lafayette, Mumbet,
00:17Peyton Skipwith were representative
00:19of black embrace of revolutionary ideals
00:22and action about that.
00:30The
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