Okay, so I was scrolling through my feed the other day, and I stumbled upon this idea to make a cartoon about Austin Dabney. I’d heard the name before, but I didn’t really know much about him. Turns out, this guy was a real hero during the American Revolutionary War. I mean, here’s a guy who was enslaved, but he still fought for American freedom. That’s pretty amazing if you ask me.
So, I started digging around, trying to learn more about Dabney. The first thing I did was a simple search to get a basic idea of who he was. I found out he was born around 1765 in Wake County, North Carolina, and he was of mixed race. He was enslaved, but during the war, he somehow ended up fighting against the British.
Then, I wanted to find out what battles he was in. From what I gathered, he fought at the Battle of Cowpens and also at Augusta under a Colonel named Elijah Clarke. These were some pretty big deals during the war, so Dabney must have seen some serious action.
Now, here’s where it gets even more interesting. It seems like Dabney was actually fighting in place of a white guy named Giles Harris. I guess that’s how things were back then, but it still blew my mind a little. Even though Dabney was taking someone else’s place, he still became a symbol of bravery and an important part of American history.
After I had all this information, I started thinking about how I could turn this into a cartoon. I wanted to make sure I did it right and showed respect for Dabney’s story. It’s not every day you hear about an enslaved person fighting in a war for a country that didn’t even see them as fully human.
I started to sketch out some ideas. I thought about how to depict Dabney, what kind of style I wanted to use, and what scenes I wanted to include. I definitely wanted to show him in battle, maybe at Cowpens or Augusta.
- Sketched out character designs. I tried to capture Dabney’s strength and determination.
- Planned out some key scenes. I focused on moments that highlighted his bravery and contribution to the war effort.
- Thought about the overall tone. I wanted it to be educational but also engaging and respectful.
It was a lot of work, but I felt like it was a story that needed to be told. Austin Dabney’s life is a powerful reminder of the struggles and contributions of African Americans throughout history. I hope my little cartoon can help spread the word about this incredible man.
So yeah, that’s my journey of making a cartoon about Austin Dabney. It was a real learning experience, and I’m pretty proud of how it turned out. It’s not just a cartoon; it’s a piece of history, a tribute to a true American hero.