The Battle of Rhode Island Association Lecture Series with Dr. Shirley Green and The Frank Brothers.

The Battle of Rhode Island Association’s Lecture Series sponsored by Americana Corner continues with our partners at the Newport Historical Society for a lecture by Dr. Shirley Green. Dr. Green will speak about her book, Revolutionary Blacks: Discovering the Frank Brothers, Freeborn Men of Color, Soldiers of Independence (Westholme Publishing, 2023). Her lecture follows the lives of William and Benjamin Frank, two brothers who enlisted in Rhode Island Regiments during the American Revolutionary War in the spring of 1777. The brothers’ experiences include two major battles, including the Battle of Rhode Island, and also underscore the distinction between free Blacks in the military service and those who had been enslaved, and how they responded in different ways to the harsh realities of war. Shirley received her Ph.D. in history from Bowling Green State University after a twenty-six year career in law enforcement. She is an adjunct professor of history at the University of Toledo and Bowling Green State University. She is also the Director of the Toledo Police Museum in Toledo, Ohio.