James Robinson was born enslaved. When the Revolutionary War broke out in 1775, his enslaver promised him freedom if he enlisted! He joined without hesitation – but the promise wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.
In the Battle of Yorktown he fought against three British soldiers. Though he feared death, he remembered that if he survived he’d be free!
Strength coursed through him, and before he knew it, the soldiers were dead.
The battle ended with the British surrendering, and the birth of a new country: the United States. But, of course, it wasn’t “the land of the free” for everyone.
The truth was Robinson’s enslaver had tricked him, secretly enlisting Robinson to serve as a “proxy” for him in the war! Afterwards, the coward sold Robinson away in fear of retaliation.
Robinson turned to religion, becoming a minister in 1820. And while it’s unclear how he became so, he WAS listed as “free” in Ohio’s 1840 census!
Robinson died at 115, the longest living Black veteran of the Revolutionary War. At least 5,000 Black men served in the war, many of whom were enslaved. How many only fought for this country because they were deceived?
Today, the military still strategically targets Black communities, claiming “enlisting will change their lives” and dangling perks like college scholarships.
Robinson didn’t care about the war; he wanted freedom. Like Robinson, we must fight for liberty by any means necessary – but keep our eyes wide open to white supremacy’s tricks and lies.