Nov. 17 lecture examines Revolutionary War slavery
Historian Michael Toomey will discuss the role of enslaved people during the American Revolutionary War at the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge’s Lunch with the League program Tuesday, Nov. 17.
The presentation begins at noon at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike.
Toomey will examine how enslaved people sought freedom by escaping to British forces, which promised freedom and protection under certain conditions. Many risked their lives, and some died in their pursuit of freedom.
The lecture also will explore how slavery influenced the Revolutionary War and contributed to divisions that eventually led to the Civil War.
Toomey is a retired history professor at Lincoln Memorial University and recipient of its Houston Award for Teaching Excellence.
He previously served as managing editor of the Journal of East Tennessee History and curator of history for the East Tennessee Historical Society.
He earned degrees from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
The lecture is part of a series commemorating the nation’s 250th anniversary.