According to the most recent Census information there are 34,658,190 African Americans living in the United States. Most have a father, brother, uncle, aunt, mother or sister who proudly call themselves black veterans.

The story of this nation’s African-American military history can be traced back to the dawn of the republic. Five years before the Revolution, Boston citizens confronted a squad of English soldiers. A black man took control of the protest and challenged the Redcoats. The British raised their weapons and fired. In that one volley, Crispus Attucks, an escaped slave, became the first man to give his life for a cause that would become the American Revolution. Years later, Thomas Jefferson immortalized his sacrifice when he wrote: "The blood of Attucks nourished the tree of liberty…"

From those early struggles to our current battle against global terrorism, black soldiers have risked their lives in defense of this nation in the dual effort to preserve freedom for their country while attempting to acquire it for themselves. Their long struggle has been as painful as it was heroic – their sacrifices profound and their enormous contributions largely ignored.

For Love of Liberty: The Story of America’s Black Patriots will finally, and for all time, set the record straight. At the center of this examination of black military history is a four-hour, High Definition, PBS miniseries introduced by Colin Powell, hosted on-camera by Halle Berry and narrated by Avery Brooks. The film uses letters, diaries, speeches, journalistic accounts, historical text and military records to document and acknowledge the sacrifices and accomplishments of African-American service men and women since the earliest days of the republic. The story spans the Revolution to today and examines why, despite enormous injustice, these heroic men and women fought so valiantly for freedoms they themselves did not enjoy. The project's goal is to raise public consciousness and shed light on an extraordinary and relatively unexplored aspect of our nation's history. The central theme of the initiative, the price of liberty, is relevant to all Americans.

Much more than a collection of historical facts & figures, For Love of Liberty: The Story of America’s Black Patriots is about black heroes. At its heart are the emotional, first-hand accounts of the men and women who were in harm's way. Since the earliest days of this nation, the hopes, fears, thoughts, and observations of these brave warriors have been preserved in a fascinating collection of written texts. Objective, revealing, personal, compelling, heartbreaking and inspiring; these memories of those long gone resonate through time via dramatic readings by Morgan Freeman, Mel Gibson, Bill Cosby, Susan Sarandon, Louis Gossett, Jr., Ossie Davis, Robert Duvall, Danny Glover, Sam Elliot, Delroy Lindo, Walter Cronkite, Isaac Hayes, John Goodman, Ice-T, James Garner, Robert Townsend, Alan Rickman, Roscoe Lee Browne, Ruby Dee, John Amos, Eriq La Salle, Angela Bassett, Chris Cooper, Alfre Woodard, Cliff Robertson, Blair Underwood, Charles Dutton, Kris Kristofferson, Michael Clarke Duncan, Donald Sutherland, Isaiah Washington and many others. Their words reveal an epic story of perseverance and triumph, which the documentary vividly brings to life through the innovative use of rare photographs, archival materials, reenactments, personal memorabilia, historical paintings and posters.

Excerpts from For Love of Liberty: The Story of America's Black Patriots can be viewed by clicking here

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Part One of For Love of Liberty: The Story of America’s Black Patriots examines black heroes of the Revolution such as Lemuel Haynes, Peter Salem, Phillis Wheatley, Samuel Harris and the First Rhode Island Regiment.

During The War of 1812, roughly 10% of all the men who put to sea are black and at the Battle of New Orleans it is Louisiana's Free Men of Color that help turn the tide against the British.

In the terrible conflict that is the Civil War, United States Colored Troops fight for the right to fight. In Charleston, a slave named Robert Smalls captures the Confederate Gunboat Planter. At Port Hudson, The Louisiana Native Guard emerges victorious after 48 days of fighting. At Fort Wagner, William Carney of the Massachusetts 54th Regiment becomes the first black Medal of Honor recipient. Fort Pillow is the site of a terrible massacre, and at the Battle of New Market Heights, Christian Fleetwood is also awarded the Medal of Honor.

When the war is over, Buffalo Soldiers help tame the west and Henry O. Flipper becomes the first black man to graduate from West Point. As the Spanish American War erupts, black sailors die when the USS Maine explodes. During the charge up San Juan Hill, it's the 9th Cavalry and 10th Cavalry that clear the way for Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders, yet many are dishonorably discharged following the Brownsville Riot.

In WW I, the Harlem Hellfighters of the 369th Infantry become the war’s first black heroes when Henry Johnson is awarded the Croix de Guerre. At Verdun, Eugene Bullard takes to the skies and becomes the world's first black fighter pilot. Freddie Stowers sacrifices his life to save his comrades but doesn’t receive the Medal of Honor until 1991.

One of the first heroes of WW II is black. Dorie Miller is awarded the Navy Cross for his heroism at Pearl Harbor. Back home, the Pittsburg Courier launches the Double V campaign. Black men become Montford Point Marines and black women like Charity Adams serve in the 6888th Central Postal Battalion, yet racism in the military is rampant.

Part Two of For Love of Liberty: The Story of America’s Black Patriots sees African-American men and women serving in the military as never before. The 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion, the Triple Nickles, undertakes the top-secret mission, codenamed Operation Firefly. In the skies over Europe, the 99th Pursuit Squadron, the Red Tails, the famed Tuskegee Airmen, perform heroically under the leadership of Benjamin O. Davis, Jr and the first black flag officer, General Benjamin O. Davis, Sr. At sea, black sailors hunt Nazi U-boats aboard the USS Mason and on D-Day black fighting men of the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion provide cover for the troops on the beach. In Italy, the 92nd Infantry fights some of Germany's toughest troops, yet many of the men would not be recognized for their service for 53 years. At Port Chicago, hundreds of black ammunition loaders lose their lives when two munitions ships explode. Thurgood Marshall defends the survivors when they are charged with mutiny for refusing to return to work. In France, the Red Ball Express keeps the supplies flowing so that men like Ruben Rivers, of the 761st Tank Battalion, could punch their way into Germany. In the Pacific, black Marines fight their way ashore on the beaches of Iwo Jima. Following the war, black men and women return home to a country wallowing in racism. When veteran George Dorsey, his wife and two friends are lynched by a white mob, President Harry Truman issues Executive Order 9981, which will ultimately desegregate the US military.

Shortly after fighting breaks out in Korea, private William Thompson becomes the first black man since the Spanish American War to receive the Medal of Honor. Air to ground combat comes into its own in Korea, led by men like Chappie James. When General MacArthur is fired, his replacement, General Matthew Ridgeway, desegregates the US Army, and at the Battle of Chipo-Ri, Cornelius Charlton becomes the war’s second black Medal of Honor recipient. That Christmas, NAACP activist Harry Moore is murdered by the Ku Klux Klan.

The war in Vietnam is the first truly integrated war ever fought by the United States. Captain Colin Powell arrives in 1962. Three years later, the first large-scale confrontation occurs at Ia Drang. 234 soldiers die, including medic Calvin Bouknight. Col. Fred Cherry is shot down and imprisoned, along with hundreds of other POW's. Captain Riley Pitts becomes the first black officer to receive the Medal of Honor. Martin Luther King is assassinated and race relations in the military deteriorate. By war’s end, 7,264 African-American patriots have lost their lives.

Following Desert Storm, America awards the first black Medal of Honor for service in World War II to George Watson, John Fox, Ruben Rivers, Charles Thomas, Edward Carter, Willy James and Vernon Baker. After the attacks of 9-11, America is once again at war. As the War on Terror drags on, the United States elects its first black Commander in Chief, Barack Obama.