New Books in History Ronald Angelo Johnson, "Entangled Alliances: Racialized Freedom and Atlantic Diplomacy During the American Revolution" (Cornell UP, 2025)
Nov 13, 2025
In this engaging discussion, Ronald Angelo Johnson, a historian specializing in Atlantic diplomacy and author of Entangled Alliances, reexamines the American Revolution through the lens of transatlantic collaborations. He highlights the role of Black resistance, showcasing figures like McCandle and the pivotal contributions of Caribbean allies. Johnson also delves into the complexities of diplomacy, the influence of print culture, and how these dynamics shaped revolutionary leaders. Together, they explore the intertwined fates of freedom-seekers across the Atlantic.
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Revolution As An Atlantic Process
- Johnson reframes the American Revolution as an Atlantic-wide process between the 1763 and 1783 treaties rather than a solely North American war.
- He argues revolutionary ideals circulated across the Caribbean and influenced both Black and white actors beyond battlefield narratives.
McCandle’s Maroon Ministry
- McCandle escaped slavery, formed maroon communities, and preached African pride across Haiti before his 1758 execution.
- Johnson opens and closes his book with McCandle to show Black Atlantic demands for freedom predated and inspired later revolutions.
Treaty Of 1763 As Catalytic Moment
- The 1763 Treaty of Paris enlarged empires and forced fiscal and military burdens that prompted new imperial taxation and harsher colonial extraction.
- Those policies linked unrest in North America and the Caribbean, seeding revolutionary ferment across the Atlantic.
