Flatbush DSA Socialist Night School - The Counter-Revolution of 1776

Date: Jul 23rd

This session will focus on excerpts from The Counter-Revolution of 1776 by Gerald Horne. This book examines the role of slavery in the American Revolution. Standard tellings of the American Revolution paint it as a great success for human freedom. This has only intensified this year, with the 250th anniversary of the founding of America. Horne questions these narratives, asking about the role of slavery in the Revolution.

Quoting from the NYU Press website, "The successful 1776 revolt against British rule in North America has
been hailed almost universally as a great step forward for humanity.
But the Africans then living in the colonies overwhelmingly sided with
the British. In this trailblazing book, Gerald Horne shows that in the
prelude to 1776, the abolition of slavery seemed all but inevitable in
London, delighting Africans as much as it outraged slaveholders, and
sparking the colonial revolt."

We will be reading the introduction and chapters 7-10 of the book. An alternative to the readings is to listen to this podcast episode. As always, all are welcome to attend whether you have done all, some, or none of the readings.