{"podcast":{"title":"Ben Franklin's World","slug":"ben-franklin-s-world-320219","podcast_index_feed_id":320219,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/ARML8526255853","website_url":"http://www.benfranklinsworld.com","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/2e2e2f64-e589-11ef-9c1f-e37e0d995aa7/image/3014a92785d17f105a1fc3aa4df5744a.jpg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"Liz Covart","episode_count":499,"summary":"This is a multiple award-winning podcast about early American history. It’s a show for people who love history and who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world. Each episode features conversations with professional historians who help shed light on important people and events in early American history.","last_synced_at":null,"page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ben-franklin-s-world-320219"},"episode":{"title":"434 Freeborn Black Soldiers in the American Revolution","slug":"434-freeborn-black-soldiers-in-the-american-revolution","published_at":"2026-02-24T06:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ben-franklin-s-world-320219/434-freeborn-black-soldiers-in-the-american-revolution","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ben-franklin-s-world-320219","url":"https://tracking.swap.fm/track/YfZO4tERxneauNcW9Fgn/mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/ARML7349308073.mp3?updated=1771453820","audio_url":"https://tracking.swap.fm/track/YfZO4tERxneauNcW9Fgn/mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/ARML7349308073.mp3?updated=1771453820","summary":"What would you fight for if you were free but still not equal? In 1777, brothers William and Benjamin Frank answered that question by enlisting in the Second Rhode Island Regiment of the Continental Army. Freeborn men of color, they gambled that military service would earn them what freedom alone had not: equality, land, and a better future. Historian Shirley Green, author of Revolutionary Blacks: Freeborn Men of Color, Soldiers of Independence, joins us to tell their story. Drawing on genealogical research rooted in her own family history, Green reveals what daily life looked like for free Black families in Revolutionary Rhode Island, how the Frank Brothers fought at the Battles of Red Bank, Monmouth, and Rhode Island, and how the Revolution ultimately divided them—one brother serving through Yorktown, the other crossing to the British side and resettling in Nova Scotia as a Black Loyalist. Their story is a window into the full range of Black experiences during the Revolution, and a reminder that for men like William and Benjamin Frank, choosing a side was never simple. It was a calculated gamble, shaped by promises made—and promises broken. Shirley’s Website | Book |Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/434 EPISODE OUTLINE00:00:00 Introduction00:01:19 The Frank Brothers' Revolutionary Choices00:05:14 Discovering the Frank Brothers Through Family Oral History00:09:01 Blending Genalogy and Microhistory00:15:22 Life for Free Black Families in Early Rhode Island00:20:50 Why Free Black Men Joined the Continental Army00:24:00 Motivations: Land, Pay, and Equality00:29:15 The Gamble of Military Service Amid Policy Shifts00:41:13 Daily Life and Combat in the Integrated Regiments00:44:46 Ben Frank's Desertion00:52:51 The Book of Negroes01:00:02 Postwar Outcomes: Did Pr…","meta_description":"What would you fight for if you were free but still not equal? In 1777, brothers William and Benjamin Frank answered that question by enlisting in the Sec…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":4392,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/ben-franklin-s-world-320219/episodes/434-freeborn-black-soldiers-in-the-american-revolution/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ben-franklin-s-world-320219/434-freeborn-black-soldiers-in-the-american-revolution.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}