Newattentionfromhistoriansandjournalistsisraisingpointedquestionsaboutthefoundingperiod:wastheAmericanrevolutionwagedtopreserveslavery,andwastheConstitutionapactwithslaveryoralandmarkintheantislaverymovement?LeadersofthefoundingwhocalledforAmericanlibertyarescrutinizedforenslavingBlackpeoplethemselves:GeorgeWashingtonconsistentlyrefusedtorecognizethefreedomofthosewhoescapedhisMountVernonplantation.AndwehavelongneededahistoryofthefoundingthatfullyincludesBlackAmericansintheRevolutionaryprotests,thewar,andthedebatesoverslaveryandfreedomthatfollowed.WenowhavethathistoryinEdwardJ.Larson’sinsightfulsynthesisofthefounding.WithslaverythrivinginBritain’sCaribbeanempireandpracticedinalloftheAmericancolonies,theindependencemovement’scallsforlibertyprovednarrow,thoughsomeBlackobserversandothersmadetheirfullimplicationsclear.Inthewar,bothsidesemployedstrategiestodrawneededsupportfromfreeandenslavedBlacks,whoseresponsesvariedbylocalconditions.BythetimeoftheConstitutionalConvention,awideningsectionaldivideshapedthefatefulcompromisesoverslaverythatwouldprovedisastrousinthecomingdecades.Larson’snarrativedeliverspoignantmomentsthatdeepenourunderstanding:wewitnessNewYork’stumultuouswelcomeofWashingtonasliberatorthroughtheeyesofDanielPayne,aBlackmanwhohadescapedenslavementatMountVernontwoyearsbefore.Indeed,throughoutLarson’sbrillianthistoryitisthevoicesofBlackAmericansthatprovethemostconvincingofallontheurgencyofliberty.
