With the musical "Hamilton" taking Broadway by storm, the American Revolution and the life of Alexander Hamilton have been hot topics. Now that Hamilton has taken center stage, it’s time for him to share the spotlight with his closest companion during the war – John Laurens. John Laurens served alongside Hamilton in the Revolutionary War as both a soldier and an aide to George Washington. The two fought together, engaged in duels, and helped secure the American victory at the Battle of Yorktown. But perhaps the most significant part of Laurens’s life was his efforts to abolish slavery. Despite being a member of the South Carolina elite and the son of a wealthy slave owner, Laurens openly condemned slavery. He tried to bring about the end of the practice by proposing a plan to lead a regiment of slaves and grant them freedom after their service. In this lecture, I will present a biography of the life of John Laurens, with a focus on his years serving in the Revolutionary War and his anti-slavery efforts. Through this class, you can learn about who he was, what he did, and why he deserves to have his story told.

With the musical "Hamilton" taking Broadway by storm, the American Revolution and the life of Alexander Hamilton have been hot topics. Now that Hamilton has taken center stage, it’s time for him to share the spotlight with his closest companion during the war – John Laurens. John Laurens served alongside Hamilton in the Revolutionary War as both a soldier and an aide to George Washington. The two fought together, engaged in duels, and helped secure the American victory at the Battle of Yorktown. But perhaps the most significant part of Laurens’s life was his efforts to abolish slavery. Despite being a member of the South Carolina elite and the son of a wealthy slave owner, Laurens openly condemned slavery. He tried to bring about the end of the practice by proposing a plan to lead a regiment of slaves and grant them freedom after their service. In this lecture, I will present a biography of the life of John Laurens, with a focus on his years serving in the Revolutionary War and his anti-slavery efforts. Through this class, you can learn about who he was, what he did, and why he deserves to have his story told.

With the musical "Hamilton" taking Broadway by storm, the American Revolution and the life of Alexander Hamilton have been hot topics. Now that Hamilton has taken center stage, it’s time for him to share the spotlight with his closest companion during the war – John Laurens. John Laurens served alongside Hamilton in the Revolutionary War as both a soldier and an aide to George Washington. The two fought together, engaged in duels, and helped secure the American victory at the Battle of Yorktown. But perhaps the most significant part of Laurens’s life was his efforts to abolish slavery. Despite being a member of the South Carolina elite and the son of a wealthy slave owner, Laurens openly condemned slavery. He tried to bring about the end of the practice by proposing a plan to lead a regiment of slaves and grant them freedom after their service. In this lecture, I will present a biography of the life of John Laurens, with a focus on his years serving in the Revolutionary War and his anti-slavery efforts. Through this class, you can learn about who he was, what he did, and why he deserves to have his story told.

With the musical "Hamilton" taking Broadway by storm, the American Revolution and the life of Alexander Hamilton have been hot topics. Now that Hamilton has taken center stage, it’s time for him to share the spotlight with his closest companion during the war – John Laurens. John Laurens served alongside Hamilton in the Revolutionary War as both a soldier and an aide to George Washington. The two fought together, engaged in duels, and helped secure the American victory at the Battle of Yorktown. But perhaps the most significant part of Laurens’s life was his efforts to abolish slavery. Despite being a member of the South Carolina elite and the son of a wealthy slave owner, Laurens openly condemned slavery. He tried to bring about the end of the practice by proposing a plan to lead a regiment of slaves and grant them freedom after their service. In this lecture, I will present a biography of the life of John Laurens, with a focus on his years serving in the Revolutionary War and his anti-slavery efforts. Through this class, you can learn about who he was, what he did, and why he deserves to have his story told.

He served in the Revolutionary War as a soldier and as an aide-de-camp to George Washington. He dueled Charles Lee. He worked with Benjamin Franklin to secure military and financial aid from France. He fought alongside Alexander Hamilton at the Battle of Yorktown and negotiated the surrender of Charles Cornwallis. And despite his status as a member of the South Carolina elite, he openly condemned slavery. He even tried to bring about the end of the practice by proposing a plan to lead a regiment of slaves and grant them freedom after their service. He was John Laurens. Even though John Laurens played a major role in early United States history, it is likely that his name is unknown to you. In this lecture, I will bring to light the life of a man who is largely forgotten in history classes and textbooks. I will present a biography of his life, with a focus on his years serving in the Revolutionary War and his efforts to abolish slavery. Through this class, you can learn about who he was, what he did, and why he is not always remembered today.