I Survived the American Revolution, 1776

Nate soon grows accustomed to his new life with the “Connecticut 5th, Paul’s army company” (61). Captain Marsh, the leader, is hesitant to have an 11-year-old in the company, but Nate soon proves himself to be very helpful, and the other men in the army welcome him. The oldest soldier, Samuel, is the best shot in the group, and the youngest, James, is one of the few who came from a wealthy family. Finally, Martin is a formerly enslaved man who takes care of Nate. He was freed a few months ago “so he could fight in the war” (63). Martin’s former enslaver still has control over Martin’s wife and daughter, so Martin is saving up to buy their freedom as well.

Martin is one of hundreds of Black soldiers fighting in the Revolutionary War. As Nate learns more about the Declaration of Independence, he begins to wonder about deeper issues, asking himself, “Why [doesn’t] that [document] include people like Martin’s wife, like those men digging trenches for George Washington, like Eliza and Theo?” (64). Try as he might, Nate cannot understand why a document stating that all people are created equal actively limits who is given equality.