Historical records show that 5,000 blacks fought for American Independence. Even without the certainty of their futures, they understood that " the risk of dying for freedom was better than the guarantee of living under oppression".
Crispus Attucks (c. 1723 – March 5, 1770) was the first person shot to death by British redcoats during the Boston Massacre, in Boston, Massachusetts. He has been named as the first martyr of the American Revolutionary War.
Crispus Attucks
Crispus Attucks From Wikipedia
Portrait of Crispus Attucks
Born 1723
United States
Died March 1770 (aged 46–47)
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Occupation Soldier, Dockworker
Crispus Attucks (c. 1723 – March 5, 1770) was in the American Revolutionary War, was the first person shot to death by British redcoats during the Boston Massacre, in Boston, Massachusetts. He has been named as the first martyr of the American Revolutionary War.[1]
Little is known for certain about Crispus Attucks beyond that he, along with Samuel Gray and James Caldwell, died "on the spot" during the incident.[2] Two major sources of eyewitness testimony about the Boston Massacre, both published in 1770, did not refer to Attucks as a "Negro," or "black" man; it appeared that Bostonians accepted him as mixed race. Historians disagree on whether Crispus Attucks was a free man or an escaped slave; but agree that he was of Wampanoag and African descent.
While the extent of his participation is unclear, Attucks became an icon of the anti-slavery movement and was held up as an example of the first black hero of the American Revolution. The other victims of the attack were Samuel Gray and James Caldwell who, like Attucks, died immediately during the attack; Samuel Maverick and Patrick Carr died from their wounds afterward. In the early nineteenth century, as the Abolitionist movement gained momentum in Boston, supporters lauded Attucks as a black American who played a heroic role in the history of the United States [3] Because Attucks had Wampanoag ancestors, his story also holds special significance for many Native Americans.[4]
Portrait of Crispus Attucks
Born 1723
United States
Died March 1770 (aged 46–47)
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Occupation Soldier, Dockworker
Crispus Attucks (c. 1723 – March 5, 1770) was in the American Revolutionary War, was the first person shot to death by British redcoats during the Boston Massacre, in Boston, Massachusetts. He has been named as the first martyr of the American Revolutionary War.[1]
Little is known for certain about Crispus Attucks beyond that he, along with Samuel Gray and James Caldwell, died "on the spot" during the incident.[2] Two major sources of eyewitness testimony about the Boston Massacre, both published in 1770, did not refer to Attucks as a "Negro," or "black" man; it appeared that Bostonians accepted him as mixed race. Historians disagree on whether Crispus Attucks was a free man or an escaped slave; but agree that he was of Wampanoag and African descent.
While the extent of his participation is unclear, Attucks became an icon of the anti-slavery movement and was held up as an example of the first black hero of the American Revolution. The other victims of the attack were Samuel Gray and James Caldwell who, like Attucks, died immediately during the attack; Samuel Maverick and Patrick Carr died from their wounds afterward. In the early nineteenth century, as the Abolitionist movement gained momentum in Boston, supporters lauded Attucks as a black American who played a heroic role in the history of the United States [3] Because Attucks had Wampanoag ancestors, his story also holds special significance for many Native Americans.[4]
America's Black History
WHETHER YOU LOVE HIM, HATE HIM, OR DON'T CARE,
GLENN BECK OFFERS UP SOME OF THE MOST INFORMATIVE
AND DETAILED INSIGHTS ON THE HISTORY OF AMERICA'S
BLACK FOUNDING FATHERS.
James Armistead Lafayette From Wikipedia
Military espionage. After getting consent of his master, William Armistead, he volunteered in 1781 to join the army under General Lafayette. He was stationed as a spy. First he spied on Brigadier General Benedict Arnold (by this time, Arnold had defected from the American Continental Army to lead British forces). After Arnold departed north in the spring of 1781, James went to the camp of Lord Cornwallis. He relayed much information about the British plans for troop deployment and about their arms. The intelligence reports from his espionage were instrumental in helping to defeat the British during the Battle of Yorktown.
Emancipation Because he was an intelligence agent and not technically a soldier, James could not qualify for emancipation under the Act of 1783, so with the support of William Armistead, he pensioned the Virginia State Legislature for his freedom. He received a letter of commendation dated November 21, 1784 from the Marquis de Lafayette. The facsimile of the letter of commendation can be viewed on the Lafayette College website.[2] On January 9, 1786, the Virginia State legislature granted the slave known only as "James" his freedom for services rendered and bravery as a spy during the siege of Yorktown. It was at that time that he chose the name 'Armistead' for his middle name and 'Lafayette' for his surname, to honor the general.[citation needed]
He continued to live in New Kent County with his new wife, one son and several other children. He became a farmer and at one point owned three slaves. By 1818 he applied to the state legislature for financial aid. He was granted $60 for present relief and $40 annual pension for his services in the Revolutionary War.
While pretending to be a British spy, Armistead gained the confidence of General Benedict Arnold and General Cornwallis. Arnold was so convinced of Armistead's pose as a runaway slave that he used him to guide British troops through local roads. Armistead often traveled between camps, spying on British officers, who spoke openly about their strategies in front of him. Armistead documented this information in written reports, delivered them to other American spies, and then return to General Cornwallis's camp.
Emancipation Because he was an intelligence agent and not technically a soldier, James could not qualify for emancipation under the Act of 1783, so with the support of William Armistead, he pensioned the Virginia State Legislature for his freedom. He received a letter of commendation dated November 21, 1784 from the Marquis de Lafayette. The facsimile of the letter of commendation can be viewed on the Lafayette College website.[2] On January 9, 1786, the Virginia State legislature granted the slave known only as "James" his freedom for services rendered and bravery as a spy during the siege of Yorktown. It was at that time that he chose the name 'Armistead' for his middle name and 'Lafayette' for his surname, to honor the general.[citation needed]
He continued to live in New Kent County with his new wife, one son and several other children. He became a farmer and at one point owned three slaves. By 1818 he applied to the state legislature for financial aid. He was granted $60 for present relief and $40 annual pension for his services in the Revolutionary War.
While pretending to be a British spy, Armistead gained the confidence of General Benedict Arnold and General Cornwallis. Arnold was so convinced of Armistead's pose as a runaway slave that he used him to guide British troops through local roads. Armistead often traveled between camps, spying on British officers, who spoke openly about their strategies in front of him. Armistead documented this information in written reports, delivered them to other American spies, and then return to General Cornwallis's camp.
Peter Salem
Birth: 1750
Framingham
Middlesex County
Massachusetts, USA Death: Aug. 16, 1816
Framingham
Middlesex County Massachusetts, USA
Patriot and former slave who was one of about 500 African-Americans who served in the Revolutionary War. Peter Salem was born a slave in Framingham, Massachusetts in 1750. He was later freed by his owner in order to fight in the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War and joined Edgell's minuteman company. On June 17, 1775, Salem fought at Bunker Hill where he is remembered for shooting and killing British Major John Pitcairn through the head as he was rallying the British troops. Soon afterward, soldiers of the New England army raised money to reward Salem for his bravery and the hero was presented to Gen. George Washington as the man who killed Pitcairn. He remained in the army for several years, long enough to fight in the bloody battles of Concord, Saratoga and Stony Point. After the war Salem settled in Leicester, Massachusetts and built a cabin. There he spent the rest of his life barley earning a living weaving cane seats for chairs. Peter Salem died in the Framingham poorhouse on Aug. 16, 1816 and was buried in and unmarked grave at the Old Burying Ground in Framingham. In 1882, the city of Framingham erected a monument in his honor. (bio by: Curtis Jackson)
Framingham
Middlesex County
Massachusetts, USA Death: Aug. 16, 1816
Framingham
Middlesex County Massachusetts, USA
Patriot and former slave who was one of about 500 African-Americans who served in the Revolutionary War. Peter Salem was born a slave in Framingham, Massachusetts in 1750. He was later freed by his owner in order to fight in the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War and joined Edgell's minuteman company. On June 17, 1775, Salem fought at Bunker Hill where he is remembered for shooting and killing British Major John Pitcairn through the head as he was rallying the British troops. Soon afterward, soldiers of the New England army raised money to reward Salem for his bravery and the hero was presented to Gen. George Washington as the man who killed Pitcairn. He remained in the army for several years, long enough to fight in the bloody battles of Concord, Saratoga and Stony Point. After the war Salem settled in Leicester, Massachusetts and built a cabin. There he spent the rest of his life barley earning a living weaving cane seats for chairs. Peter Salem died in the Framingham poorhouse on Aug. 16, 1816 and was buried in and unmarked grave at the Old Burying Ground in Framingham. In 1882, the city of Framingham erected a monument in his honor. (bio by: Curtis Jackson)
Wentworth Cheswell
Wentworth Cheswell Written by Reverend Steve Williams Wentworth Cheswell was the grandson of black slave, Richard Cheswell, who gained his freedom in 1717, and became the first black man to be a property owner in New Hampshire; the deed, which was dated October 18th 1717, is the earliest known deed showing land ownership by a black man in and was located in what was to become the town of Newmarket. Wentworth was the only son of Hopestill and Catherine Cheswell of Newmarket New Hampshire. His father was a house-wright (homebuilder) and became quite notable building the homes of several of the patriot leaders, including the houses of John Paul Jones (it currently houses the Portsmouth Historical Society Museum) and the Rev. Samuel Langdon. Hopestill, who was active in the local affairs of Newmarket, passed on his love and knowledge of homebuilding, agriculture and community involvement to his son.
In 1763, Wentworth attended the Dummer Academy which was some thirty miles away from Newmarket in Byfield, Massachusetts. His education was a privilege that was considered as unusual for a country boy of that era. In the colonial era, few people were formally educated, due to cost and the lack of inexpensive public schooling. Hopestill’s financial status allowed him to ensure that his son Wentworth receive the finest education available at the time. Of course education of any proper sort in colonial New England conceded to the family and student a degree of societal rank. Young Mr. Cheswell studied Latin, Greek, swimming, horsemanship, reading, writing, and arithmetic; he returned home to Newmarket in 1767.
No sooner, having returned to the town of his birth, Mr. Wentworth Cheswell accepted the position of schoolmaster, and married 17-year-old Mary Davis of Durham, New Hampshire on 13 September 1767. They were blessed with a large family (13; 4 sons and nine daughters), having their first son (Paul) just weeks short of a year later, in August of 1768.
It is difficult by today’s standards to understand the meteoric rise of this young man (just 21 years of age; very young to have achieved so much) for he had already become a landowner, (while still in school Wentworth purchased a 30 acre parcel of land from his father) and was an unfaltering member of the local church, where he held a church pew.
In 1768, Wentworth was elected (thus becoming the first African American elected to public office) town constable, this was to be the first of many offices which he held throughout his life. Every year from 1768 until 1817, (excluding 1788) Wentworth Cheswell held some local government position. Two years later in 1770, he was elected town selectman. However, this election was no exception, but proved to be rule as to the confidence and trust put into him by his fellow townspeople. The positions of town Selectman were recognized as a head of local government, and were annually chosen in the town. Selectmen, were referred to as town Fathers, a name which expressed the prudent and discretionary character to the citizens. The people of Newmarket entrusted Wentworth with the welfare of the town, providing him considerable powers as a town leader; that year also saw the addition of more land to Wentworth’s holdings, which included 114 acres.
As early as October of 1775, Wentworth Cheswell had aligned himself with the revolutionary cause, and in April of 1776, he signed (along with 162 of the town's men above the age of twenty-one) the Association Test; In April 1776, he signed a document in which he pledged, at the risk of life and fortune, to take up arms to resist the British. Signatures of people were obtained to oppose the antagonistic actions of the British fleets and armies. The wealth of the signatures gave the signers of the Declaration of Independence assurance that their acts would be sanctioned by the country.
As well in 1776, the town of Newmarket elected five men to oversee the schools; Cheswell was one of the five, becoming one of Newmarket’s first school board members. Wentworth Cheswell was elected to the Committee of Safety of Newmarket, as messenger (carrying news to and from the Provincial Committee at Exeter) and he too, like Paul Revere, made an all-night ride back from Boston to warn his community of the impending British invasion. With the imminent arrival of the British frigate Scarborough and the Canseau sloop of war, Portsmouth asked for help from their neighboring communities, and Newmarket held a town meeting, where it was decided that 30 men would be sent to Portsmouth to help. Cheswell made the ride to Exeter receiving instructions from the committee on where the men of Newmarket were to be sent; Cheswell was a member of the party which built rafts to defend Portsmouth Harbor.
Cheswell enlisted in the cause of the revolution, on September 29th 1777. He served under Colonel John Langdon in a select company called “Langdon's Company of” which helped to bolster the Continental Army at the Saratoga campaign. Langdon’s company of Light Horse Volunteers made the 250-mile march to Saratoga, New York, to join with the Continental Army under General Horatio Gates, defeating British General Burgoyne at the Battle of Saratoga, which was the first major American victory in the Revolution. Cheswell’s only military service ended October 31st 1777. As with many other men, he served for only a limited time, as his family was dependent on him for support.
After returning from Saratoga, Wentworth was elected in the spring of 1778, to the, convention to draft the New Hampshire’s first constitution, but some unidentified event prohibited him from attending. Mr. Cheswell served his community admirably, employing his skills and learning in the local business of the town. His role was an active one, being involved in the dealings of local government, and whether municipality or church affairs, when any important committee was chosen in Newmarket, Wentworth Cheswell was sure to be a member.
Cheswell also ran a store next to the school house, his career as a teacher was short lived, but his concern for the educational welfare of Newmarket’s children never wavered. Other town offices in which he, Wentworth served included, his seven years as Auditor, two years as Coroner, six years as Assessor, seven years as town Moderator (where he presided over the town meetings), and twelve years as the Justice of the Peace, his responsibilities included overseeing trials, settling disputes, the executing of deeds, wills, and legal documents.
Mr. Cheswell has been called the first archeologist in the state New Hampshire, for his fieldwork and his written reports, copying town records from 1727 (including the records of various church meetings) his chronicling of older stories of the Newmarket, and keeping lists of the town’s events; for investigating, note-making on the numerous artifacts and relics which he discovered in and around the town. This town history compiled by Mr. Cheswell resides at the Dimond Library Special Collections Department at University of New Hampshire. The Rev. Jeremy Belknap author and compiler of the three-volume “History of New Hampshire (1784-1792),” acknowledged that much of the information he gleaned came from Wentworth. In 1801, Cheswell, with a group of men established the Newmarket Social Library, the first library in that township. Cheswell's estate was valued the highest of that philanthropic party, at over $13,000.
On March 8, 1817, Wentworth Cheswell died from typhus fever. His passing was lamented greatly, for he had, for seventy years been a vital, important, and influential part of the community of Newmarket New Hampshire.
In his will he stated, "I also order and direct that my Library and collection of Manuscripts be kept safe and together…if any should desire the use of any of the books and give caution to return the same again in reasonable time, they may be lent out to them, provided that only one book be out of said Library in the hands of any one at the same time."
Wentworth Cheswell, Christian, beloved son, adored husband, respected father; town leader, patriot leader, church leader, schoolmaster, judge, historian, archeologist, veteran of the Revolutionary War; his legacy is truly a lasting one, a Founding Father of the United States of America. http://americasfoundingfathers.com
In 1763, Wentworth attended the Dummer Academy which was some thirty miles away from Newmarket in Byfield, Massachusetts. His education was a privilege that was considered as unusual for a country boy of that era. In the colonial era, few people were formally educated, due to cost and the lack of inexpensive public schooling. Hopestill’s financial status allowed him to ensure that his son Wentworth receive the finest education available at the time. Of course education of any proper sort in colonial New England conceded to the family and student a degree of societal rank. Young Mr. Cheswell studied Latin, Greek, swimming, horsemanship, reading, writing, and arithmetic; he returned home to Newmarket in 1767.
No sooner, having returned to the town of his birth, Mr. Wentworth Cheswell accepted the position of schoolmaster, and married 17-year-old Mary Davis of Durham, New Hampshire on 13 September 1767. They were blessed with a large family (13; 4 sons and nine daughters), having their first son (Paul) just weeks short of a year later, in August of 1768.
It is difficult by today’s standards to understand the meteoric rise of this young man (just 21 years of age; very young to have achieved so much) for he had already become a landowner, (while still in school Wentworth purchased a 30 acre parcel of land from his father) and was an unfaltering member of the local church, where he held a church pew.
In 1768, Wentworth was elected (thus becoming the first African American elected to public office) town constable, this was to be the first of many offices which he held throughout his life. Every year from 1768 until 1817, (excluding 1788) Wentworth Cheswell held some local government position. Two years later in 1770, he was elected town selectman. However, this election was no exception, but proved to be rule as to the confidence and trust put into him by his fellow townspeople. The positions of town Selectman were recognized as a head of local government, and were annually chosen in the town. Selectmen, were referred to as town Fathers, a name which expressed the prudent and discretionary character to the citizens. The people of Newmarket entrusted Wentworth with the welfare of the town, providing him considerable powers as a town leader; that year also saw the addition of more land to Wentworth’s holdings, which included 114 acres.
As early as October of 1775, Wentworth Cheswell had aligned himself with the revolutionary cause, and in April of 1776, he signed (along with 162 of the town's men above the age of twenty-one) the Association Test; In April 1776, he signed a document in which he pledged, at the risk of life and fortune, to take up arms to resist the British. Signatures of people were obtained to oppose the antagonistic actions of the British fleets and armies. The wealth of the signatures gave the signers of the Declaration of Independence assurance that their acts would be sanctioned by the country.
As well in 1776, the town of Newmarket elected five men to oversee the schools; Cheswell was one of the five, becoming one of Newmarket’s first school board members. Wentworth Cheswell was elected to the Committee of Safety of Newmarket, as messenger (carrying news to and from the Provincial Committee at Exeter) and he too, like Paul Revere, made an all-night ride back from Boston to warn his community of the impending British invasion. With the imminent arrival of the British frigate Scarborough and the Canseau sloop of war, Portsmouth asked for help from their neighboring communities, and Newmarket held a town meeting, where it was decided that 30 men would be sent to Portsmouth to help. Cheswell made the ride to Exeter receiving instructions from the committee on where the men of Newmarket were to be sent; Cheswell was a member of the party which built rafts to defend Portsmouth Harbor.
Cheswell enlisted in the cause of the revolution, on September 29th 1777. He served under Colonel John Langdon in a select company called “Langdon's Company of” which helped to bolster the Continental Army at the Saratoga campaign. Langdon’s company of Light Horse Volunteers made the 250-mile march to Saratoga, New York, to join with the Continental Army under General Horatio Gates, defeating British General Burgoyne at the Battle of Saratoga, which was the first major American victory in the Revolution. Cheswell’s only military service ended October 31st 1777. As with many other men, he served for only a limited time, as his family was dependent on him for support.
After returning from Saratoga, Wentworth was elected in the spring of 1778, to the, convention to draft the New Hampshire’s first constitution, but some unidentified event prohibited him from attending. Mr. Cheswell served his community admirably, employing his skills and learning in the local business of the town. His role was an active one, being involved in the dealings of local government, and whether municipality or church affairs, when any important committee was chosen in Newmarket, Wentworth Cheswell was sure to be a member.
Cheswell also ran a store next to the school house, his career as a teacher was short lived, but his concern for the educational welfare of Newmarket’s children never wavered. Other town offices in which he, Wentworth served included, his seven years as Auditor, two years as Coroner, six years as Assessor, seven years as town Moderator (where he presided over the town meetings), and twelve years as the Justice of the Peace, his responsibilities included overseeing trials, settling disputes, the executing of deeds, wills, and legal documents.
Mr. Cheswell has been called the first archeologist in the state New Hampshire, for his fieldwork and his written reports, copying town records from 1727 (including the records of various church meetings) his chronicling of older stories of the Newmarket, and keeping lists of the town’s events; for investigating, note-making on the numerous artifacts and relics which he discovered in and around the town. This town history compiled by Mr. Cheswell resides at the Dimond Library Special Collections Department at University of New Hampshire. The Rev. Jeremy Belknap author and compiler of the three-volume “History of New Hampshire (1784-1792),” acknowledged that much of the information he gleaned came from Wentworth. In 1801, Cheswell, with a group of men established the Newmarket Social Library, the first library in that township. Cheswell's estate was valued the highest of that philanthropic party, at over $13,000.
On March 8, 1817, Wentworth Cheswell died from typhus fever. His passing was lamented greatly, for he had, for seventy years been a vital, important, and influential part of the community of Newmarket New Hampshire.
In his will he stated, "I also order and direct that my Library and collection of Manuscripts be kept safe and together…if any should desire the use of any of the books and give caution to return the same again in reasonable time, they may be lent out to them, provided that only one book be out of said Library in the hands of any one at the same time."
Wentworth Cheswell, Christian, beloved son, adored husband, respected father; town leader, patriot leader, church leader, schoolmaster, judge, historian, archeologist, veteran of the Revolutionary War; his legacy is truly a lasting one, a Founding Father of the United States of America. http://americasfoundingfathers.com
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was born near Burlington in 1752. Raised a farmer, he served in several companies of the Second New Jersey Regiment between 1777 and 1783. After seeing action at the battles of Trenton and Princeton in 1776 and 1777, Brandywine in 1777, Monmouth in 1778 and Yorktown in 1781, he left the military at war's end. George Washington personally signed Cromwell's discharge papers, and also designed a medal which was awarded to Cromwell.
Some years after the war, Cromwell applied for a veteran's pension. He was well-liked in Burlington, and although he was unable to read or write, local lawyers, judges and politicians came to his aid, and he was granted a pension of $96 a year. He purchased a 100-acre farm outside Burlington, and fathered 14 children, then spent his later years at his home at 114 East Union Street in Burlington. He lived to be 100 years old, outliving 8 of his children, and is buried in the cemetary of the Broad Street Methodist Church. His descendants live in the city to this day. In 1983, the Oliver Cromwell Black History Society was organized to research and preserve Black Heritage, in Burlington and elsewhere. The Society work with the Afri-Male Institute to encourage young men to represent Cromwell and other African-American soldiers in Revolutionary War recreations at the Old Barracks Museum in Trenton, New Jersey.
Oliver Cromwell Black History Society
The Oliver Cromwell Black History Society was formed in 1983 for the preservation and research of Black Heritage in the City of Burlington and throughout the United States. The Society is named for Oliver Cromwell, a Black soldier in the Revolution who was decorated by George Washington and lived in Burlington after the war.
The Society meets each month at the Afri-Male Institute on High Street, and holds an annual Black Heritage Historical Art and Essay Contest for students in Burlington City and Burlington Township. The Society's efforts were also instrumental in the designation of the William Allen School as a historic site on both the National and State Historic Registers. The Society and the Institute work together to encourage young men to represent African-American soldiers in Revolutionary War recreations at the Old Barracks Museum in Trenton, some fifteen miles away.
Oliver Cromwell was born near Burlington in 1752. Raised a farmer, he served in several companies of the Second New Jersey Regiment between 1777 and 1783. After seeing action at the battles of Trenton and Princeton in 1776 and 1777, Brandywine in 1777, Monmouth in 1778 and Yorktown in 1781, he left the military at war's end. George Washington personally signed Cromwell's discharge papers, and also designed a medal which was awarded to Cromwell.
Some years after the war, Cromwell applied for a veteran's pension. He was well-liked in Burlington, and although he was unable to read or write, local lawyers, judges and politicians came to his aid, and he was granted a pension of $96 a year. He purchased a 100-acre farm outside Burlington, and fathered 14 children, then spent his later years at his home at 114 East Union Street in Burlington. He lived to be 100 years old, outliving 8 of his children, and is buried in the cemetary of the Broad Street Methodist Church. His descendants live in the city to this day. In 1983, the Oliver Cromwell Black History Society was organized to research and preserve Black Heritage, in Burlington and elsewhere. The Society work with the Afri-Male Institute to encourage young men to represent Cromwell and other African-American soldiers in Revolutionary War recreations at the Old Barracks Museum in Trenton, New Jersey.
Oliver Cromwell Black History Society
The Oliver Cromwell Black History Society was formed in 1983 for the preservation and research of Black Heritage in the City of Burlington and throughout the United States. The Society is named for Oliver Cromwell, a Black soldier in the Revolution who was decorated by George Washington and lived in Burlington after the war.
The Society meets each month at the Afri-Male Institute on High Street, and holds an annual Black Heritage Historical Art and Essay Contest for students in Burlington City and Burlington Township. The Society's efforts were also instrumental in the designation of the William Allen School as a historic site on both the National and State Historic Registers. The Society and the Institute work together to encourage young men to represent African-American soldiers in Revolutionary War recreations at the Old Barracks Museum in Trenton, some fifteen miles away.
Prince Whipple
Prince Whipple was royalty in Amabon, Africa, but later on came to be a slave in the British Colonies in America. He had wealthy parents who sent his cousin and him to the Americas to obtain an education. Prince Whipple had an older brother who had gone to the Americas earlier and received great benefits. His parents wanted to do the same for their younger son. Instead, the parents unknowingly sent him off with a treacherous sea captain, who took them to Baltimore, Maryland, where they were sold into slavery. Portsmouth men, in present-day New Hahampshire, bought them. Prince ended up with General Whipple of New Hampshire and took his name, as was customary.
Prince Whipple was much loved and trusted by everyone, including his master. Once General Whipple asked Prince to take a big quantity of money from Salem to Portsmouth. On the way there, two men attacked him. Later on, one was hit with a loaded whip and the other was shot. Whipple earned his freedom by serving in the American Revolution with his master. He had entered the services of the army as a bodyguard to Gen. Whipple, who was an aide to Washington. A Iocal newspaper calIed him: "New Hampshire's foremost, if not onIy, colored representative of the War for Independence."(Robinson, D.) Prince married Dinah, an emancipated woman from New Castle, in1781. They eventually lived in a two-story house with their children. Ester Mollenoux was one of their children who was welI known in Portsmouth. Prince Whipple died when he was 32 in Portsmouth, where he was known as the "CaIeb Quotom."(Robinson, D.)
General WilIiam Whipple was a prominent white who owned slaves. During the war, he was ordered to drive British General Burgoyne out of Vermont and accompanied George Washington for the famed crossing of the Delaware River. He later on represented New Hampshire by signing the Declaration of Independence. He lived in his wife, Catherine Moffatt's, father's mansion in Portsmouth.(Robinson, D.)
In the painting, Washington Crossing the Delaware, Prince Whipple is shown in the boat along with other men. This painting was done bv Emanuel Leutze in 1851. There have been several replicas of this painting. Leutze was born in Germany but went to America when he was young. He Iived in Philadelphia, but also traveled about. He went to a fine school in Dusseldorf where he learned his artistic techniques for creating historicaI paintings. His painting of Washington Crossing the Delaware depicts Washington pushed across the jagged cakes of ice and frigid water of the Delaware River on Christmas of1776 to surprise the British at Trenton, New Jersey. It illustrates Prince Whipple manning the oars of the boat. It is believed that that one face is the symbol of thousands of African-Americans who fought for freedom.(Robinson, D.) This successful surprise attack helped the Patriots in their quest for victory. Leutze used live models to depict the drawing as accurately as possible, since there were no exact records of costume, boat, and the weather in historical records.
In the painting, there are 12 men in a little wooden boat. Eleven men are soldiers, including George Washington, who is standing with one Ieg up on the ledge. There's an American flag behind him being held by another soldier. All the other 11 soldiers either rowing or looking out beyond. The 12th man is believed to be Prince Whipple, the only African American aboard. There are giant chunks of ice floating on the water. In the background there are dozens of soIdiers on land. This painting became a major success for Leutze, and garnered him $10,000. It is displayed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
Washington Crossing the Delaware
by Emmanuel Leutze
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of John Stewart Kennedy. 1897. (97.34) All rights reserved, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Prince Whipple was much loved and trusted by everyone, including his master. Once General Whipple asked Prince to take a big quantity of money from Salem to Portsmouth. On the way there, two men attacked him. Later on, one was hit with a loaded whip and the other was shot. Whipple earned his freedom by serving in the American Revolution with his master. He had entered the services of the army as a bodyguard to Gen. Whipple, who was an aide to Washington. A Iocal newspaper calIed him: "New Hampshire's foremost, if not onIy, colored representative of the War for Independence."(Robinson, D.) Prince married Dinah, an emancipated woman from New Castle, in1781. They eventually lived in a two-story house with their children. Ester Mollenoux was one of their children who was welI known in Portsmouth. Prince Whipple died when he was 32 in Portsmouth, where he was known as the "CaIeb Quotom."(Robinson, D.)
General WilIiam Whipple was a prominent white who owned slaves. During the war, he was ordered to drive British General Burgoyne out of Vermont and accompanied George Washington for the famed crossing of the Delaware River. He later on represented New Hampshire by signing the Declaration of Independence. He lived in his wife, Catherine Moffatt's, father's mansion in Portsmouth.(Robinson, D.)
In the painting, Washington Crossing the Delaware, Prince Whipple is shown in the boat along with other men. This painting was done bv Emanuel Leutze in 1851. There have been several replicas of this painting. Leutze was born in Germany but went to America when he was young. He Iived in Philadelphia, but also traveled about. He went to a fine school in Dusseldorf where he learned his artistic techniques for creating historicaI paintings. His painting of Washington Crossing the Delaware depicts Washington pushed across the jagged cakes of ice and frigid water of the Delaware River on Christmas of1776 to surprise the British at Trenton, New Jersey. It illustrates Prince Whipple manning the oars of the boat. It is believed that that one face is the symbol of thousands of African-Americans who fought for freedom.(Robinson, D.) This successful surprise attack helped the Patriots in their quest for victory. Leutze used live models to depict the drawing as accurately as possible, since there were no exact records of costume, boat, and the weather in historical records.
In the painting, there are 12 men in a little wooden boat. Eleven men are soldiers, including George Washington, who is standing with one Ieg up on the ledge. There's an American flag behind him being held by another soldier. All the other 11 soldiers either rowing or looking out beyond. The 12th man is believed to be Prince Whipple, the only African American aboard. There are giant chunks of ice floating on the water. In the background there are dozens of soIdiers on land. This painting became a major success for Leutze, and garnered him $10,000. It is displayed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
Washington Crossing the Delaware
by Emmanuel Leutze
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of John Stewart Kennedy. 1897. (97.34) All rights reserved, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Memorial Prince Estabrook memorial in Lexington, MA, USA. He was honored in 2008 by the city of Lexington with a monument erected in front of Buckman Tavern as being the first black combatant of the American Revolution and for representing the thousands of slaves who fought for their country even though their own freedom was not afforded to their people until almost a hundred years later.[6] The inscription on the marker reads:
In Honor of Prince Estabrook -- Prince Estabrook was a slave who lived in Lexington. At dawn on April, 19, 1775, he was one of the Lexington Minute Men awaiting the arrival of the British Regulars at the Buckman Tavern. In the battle which followed, Prince Estabrook was wounded on Lexington Green. Through circumstances and destiny, he thus became the first black soldier to fight in the American Revolution. -- This monument is dedicated to the memory of Prince Estabrook and the thousands of other courageous black patriots long denied the recognition they deserve. -- Donated by the Alice Hinkle Memorial Fund -- April 21, 2008[7]
In Honor of Prince Estabrook -- Prince Estabrook was a slave who lived in Lexington. At dawn on April, 19, 1775, he was one of the Lexington Minute Men awaiting the arrival of the British Regulars at the Buckman Tavern. In the battle which followed, Prince Estabrook was wounded on Lexington Green. Through circumstances and destiny, he thus became the first black soldier to fight in the American Revolution. -- This monument is dedicated to the memory of Prince Estabrook and the thousands of other courageous black patriots long denied the recognition they deserve. -- Donated by the Alice Hinkle Memorial Fund -- April 21, 2008[7]
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