The Other Revolutionaries

The People of Albany and American Independence, 1763-1783

- a "book" project -
by
Stefan Bielinski


This initiative was launched in 1991 to address basic questions and issues related to why the people of Albany, New York would jeopardize an advantaged way of life that set them apart from most settlers living in the upper Hudson region, risk everything to oppose British restrictions, drive them to open rebellion, and then to the founding of a new state and nation. "The Other Revolutionaries" focuses on the experiences of six discreet groups of early Albany people during the two decades following the end of the colonial wars in 1763.

By the mid-1990s, "The Other Revolutionaries" had become the author's principal writing activity with supporting Colonial Albany Project research focused on the lives of the 3,000 early Albany people who lived through the so-called "Revolutionary era." By 1997, perhaps two-thirds of a draft manuscript had been produced and several conference papers were presented based on individual chapters. Several public programs also focused on themes then being explored under the "Other Revolutionaries" umbrella.

"The Other Revolutionaries" predated any thought of the Internet as a major programming medium. It was conceived as a monograph-driven exposition which would then be the basis for exhibitry and public programming. Articles would anticipate and also supplement the book publication.

But all that has changed as the book initiative has suffered greatly from the emergence of the "People of Colonial Albany Live Here Website" as the project's principal programming pre-occupation. You might have noticed that the author has put aside almost everything else to produce webpages!

Parts of a couple of the chapters have found their ways into website expositions. These concern the last days of colonial Albany and the group of early Albany people who did not support the crusade for American liberties. Now, web versions of entire chapters have begun to appear on these pages!

The Other Revolutionaries:

Table of Contents

Introduction and acknowledgments

Prologue: Once upon a time there were three American Revolutions

I    The Beginning of the End

II    The Edge of the Frontier on the Eve of the Revolution: Colonial Albany and its people

III    Who Fought the War? Albany people in the revolutionary army

IV    They Also Served: The home front patriots

V     Immigrants, Opportunists, and Refugees: Newcomers in a climate of war

VI    Slavery and Community: Afro-Albanians and the American Revolution

VII    Broken Homes: Widows, abandoned wives, and single women

VIII    Incivility in a Civil War: Tories, loyalists, and neutrals

IX    The End of the Beginning

X    The Other Revolutionaries Data Base


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first posted: 1/01; last revised 4/14/03