Crispus Attucks (Ashley M.)

Crispus Attucks by Ashley M.

Crispus Attucks was the spark that started the Revolutionary fire.

Little is known about Crispus Attucks' childhood. Attucks was born in 1723 in Boston
Massachusetts. His mother was American Indian and his father African-American. An enslaved person, Attucks's  life up until twenty-seven is a mystery. After twenty-seven,  he ran away from his home and was a sailor,whaler and rope-maker.

Attucks was the first victim to die in the Revolutionary War, but he had a larger role. The afternoon of the Massacre, Attucks was at a pub with fellow sailors. He and the group argued with an off-duty British soldier about the British soldiers taking jobs from the sailors. Later that evening, Attucks gathered Patriots at Dock Square and led them towards King Street. Passionate about his cause,he riled up the crowd and told them to attack the sentinel on guard at the Boston Customs House. He challenged the group to fire as he grabbed the bayonet and musket of Captain Preston and was shot.

Crispus Attucks was killed in the Boston Massacre. Attucks died on March 5, 1770, in
Boston, Massachusetts. After he died, a trial was held for the British soldiers who were in the Boston Massacre.  Instead of Independence Day, they would show a flag that was made for the victims.
Crispus Attucks deserves to be remembered as the first person to give up his life for a
better future.

Crispus Attucks (by Carly)

Crispus Attucks by Carly


Many know Crispus Attucks as the first African-American to be killed in the
Revolutionary War, but he has a much more complicated story.

Little is known about Attucks's childhood. Attucks was born in Framingham,
Massachusetts in 1723, but the exact date is not known. His family was his mother, his father, his sister Pheobe, and his unnamed baby brother who died of a fever the day he was born. He was a slave growing up and he ran away from his owner, William Brown of Framingham. When
Attucks escaped from Brown, Brown reported Attucks as "twenty seven-years old, six foot two, tall, short brown curly hair, and knock-kneed."

Crispus Attucks had a major role leading up to the Revolutionary War and not many
people are familiar with the exact events surrounding the Boston Massacre. Attucks gathered a crowd of Patriots on a dock in the Port of Boston. Attucks gave a rousing speech and led the group up King Street, charging straight toward the main guard. Attucks and the other colonists were teasing the British soldiers and throwing rocks and sticks at them. Attucks and the other men were yelling, "Fire, why will you not fire at us?" Attucks went to grab a soldier's musket and was shot.

After the Massacre, Attucks was honored by the city of Boston. A little while later, there
was a statue built in honor of Attucks. He is considered to be first African-American to be killed in the
Revolutionary War, though the Boston Massacre occurred before the war began.

Attucks was very brave and inspiring to some people. He died March 5,1770 and was buried in Faneuil Hall and his body was there until March 8, 1770 and then he was
buried in a common graveyard.

His parents both died soon after him and his sister lived ten more years until she passed
away, also. Crispus Attucks was a hero, not only the first to be shot in the Boston Massacre, but a
very strong leader too.

Prince Estabrook, Unsung Hero

Prince Estabrook by Stephani

Prince Estabrook is truly an unrecognized hero. Brave and bold, his story deserves to be told.

Prince Estabrook's childhood was different than the majority of enslaved peoples. Estabrook's father was of African descent and was third in line for the throne. It was because of
his fathers background that Estabrook was named Prince. Prince was born in 1740 in Africa and
brought to America at the mere age of fourteen to be sold at a slave auction. He was purchased by Benjamin Estabrook, who gave Prince his last name. Benjamin did not think of Prince as a
slave, he thought of him as an adoptive son. Prince had a secret love of playing cards. Sometimes he would play with Benjamin's son. Prince also always wanted to fight amongst George Washington's Militia.

Estabrook, who I will now refer to as Prince, was the first enslaved person to fight in
the American Revolution in the Battle of Lexington. He was also the first man to be shot in the
official war and suffered a gunshot wound to his left shoulder. One story of Prince in the
revolution is unusual. At five o'clock in the morning, Prince heard the war horns blow. This
meant only one thing, the British were coming! He grabbed his musket and bolted out the door.
He fought side by side with his comrades and they won the skirmish. It was only after the
conflict was over that he realized he was still in his nightcap and pajamas.
Prince enjoyed a kind relationship with Benjamin. Benjamin treated him with dignity
and respect and gave him shelter in a one room log cabin with a fireplace in it next to the main
residence. He also gave Prince a one person bed, a dining table and a food cupboard with
detailed dishes. In addition, Benjamin paid him one pence a week for his labor and never beat
him. This was a significant contrast to the way most slaves were treated at that time. Many of
Prince's friends who were slaves lived in horse stables, were not paid, were not fed well and were
beaten.

There was only one time when Benjamin was disappointed with Prince. One day,
Prince received permission to go and get food for Benjamin. On his way home he met a woman
on the side of the road. The woman was sick and elderly. She told him that her old master would
whip her and threaten her so she ran away from him. After that, no one wanted her to work for
them. At that moment he realized that the world he was living in was the opposite of how he
lived. He graciously offered the food he purchased with Benjamin's money. She refused at first
but he insisted she take it. She finally accepted his offer and asked him to take one of her
possessions. He initially declined but eventually chose a porcelain decorated egg. When Prince
returned home he explained what happened to Benjamin. Unfortunately, Benjamin did not
believe him and assumed he spent the money on the egg. Infuriated, Benjamin grabbed the egg
and smashed it on the ground. Prince was crushed. Shortly afterwards, Benjamin apologized for
his actions and as a recompense, allowed Prince to go to the village and participate in a card
game.

After Prince's service to the Continental Army, Benjamin granted him his freedom.
Although he was a free man, he chose to remain with the Estabrook family. Two months after
Mrs. Estabrook died, Benjamin went to war and was shot. Prince acted as a nurse, caring for
Benjamin until his last breath. After Benjamin died, Prince still remained with the family and
cared for them. Prince Estabrook never married and died at the age of ninety in 1830. He is
buried in the graveyard behind the First Parish Church Unitarian-Universalist in Ashby,
Massachusetts. In 2008 he was honored by the city of Lexington with a monument erected in
front of Buckman Tavern as being the first African combatant of the American Revolution.
Prince Estabrook was courageous and fought for freedom from British tyranny. He was
also kind, nurturing and cared for those he loved. He was, beyond doubt, one of the unsung
heroes of the American Revolution.

Phillis Wheatley, Poet (by Erin)

Phillis Wheatley by Erin


Phillis Wheatley's poetry rang out about her beliefs and what she stood for.

Phillis Wheatley had a childhood in America that other African-Americans could only hope
for. She was bought at an auction in the June of 1761 by Susannah Wheatley at age seven. When she
arrived at the Wheatley mansion, they treated her like one of their own children! They gave her a
bath when African-Americans were expected to provide their own way of cleaning themselves.
They also gave her some of their own clothes to wear. However, she was still a slave. The most
shocking privilege was that she got an education, and learned how to read and write. During her
learning experience she discovered her intriguing love for writing. This was the spark of her
Revolutionary Fire as a poet.

By writing a poem to General George Washington, Phillis Wheatley proved to him that
African-Americans were loyal and obedient, like a soldier should be. Washington had a kind
soul, but he still had slaves. The main reason was because he was afraid that the African-
Americans might resort to revenge with a musket at hand. During the war, Phillis Wheatley had
been writing poems and plays that reflected on how the Loyalists bested the British in the war.
Many lives were lost in the war everyday.Washington was racking his brain to find a way to have
more men. That's where Phillis Wheatley comes in. There were plenty of healthy and fit African-
Americans right under his nose.So she decided to write a poem to Washington. He was so moved
that he allowed African-Americans to fight in the war. To guarantee their support, he said any enslaved soldiers would be free after the Revolution. This was the ultimate payment for fighting in the war. Some stayed behind thinking the Loyalists would send them back to slavery. I think Phillis Wheatley brought
reinforcements to the army indirectly and that was a major help to our victory against the British.

The war had changed many lives in many ways, both good and bad. Wheatley's went downhill
a little after the war. She married a free black grocer by the name of John Peters. She eventually
became pregnant with two children. Unfortunately, they both died within the hour. Her fame had
also died down. She tried to publish another volume of poetry, but it failed to gain interest. She
became pregnant again and her husband was gone, in jail for a petty crime. She tried to manage herself on her own, but she barely survived in her state of condition. When the time came for her baby to be born,
she died giving birth. The child died a few hours later.

Phillis Wheatley had a strong voice that was was heard through her poetry. That voice will
continue to ring in the hearts of those who love and appreciate poetry.

Agrippa Hull, Continental Army soldier

Agrippa Hull by Christina D.

Agrippa Hull broke many African American stereotypes associated with the Revolutionary era.

Agrippa Hull had a difficult childhood. Hull was born free in Northampton, Massachusetts on March 7, 1759. Hull's father died when Hull was a toddler. When Hull was five, his mother sent him to Stockbridge, Massachusetts with a former African American servant named Joab. There, he lived with a free black farming family.

Agrippa Hull deserves just as much recognition as any other soldier in the Revolutionary
War. He enlisted into the Continental Army at age eighteen, and Hull served six years and two
months in the war. Hull had seen the the surrender of the British General John Burgoyne during the winter of 1777-1778 at Valley Forge. Hull was in the most intense phase of the war in North Carolina in 1780. By the time the southern part of the war ended in May 1883, Agrippa Hull had been in nearly every important battle. For his long service and bravery he earned a badge of
honor. He had served as a Patriot.

Agrippa Hull had had a good life after the war. After fighting, Hull moved back to
Stockbridge. Hull bought an acre of land just across the Housatonic river, then extending it with
more and more land being bought. Eventually, he became Stockbridge's largest black landowner.
Later, he married Jane Darby, and had four children. He died in Stockbridge, Massachusetts on
May 21, 1848 at age ninety-one.

Agrippa Hull was a very devoted patriot and he risked his life time and time again. He
had been in some of the most important fighting in the Revolutionary War.
Hull had been in almost every large battle proving that African Americans were just as important
to the Patriotic cause as everybody else.

Martha Bell, Spy

Martha Bell by Raeyan


Although her reasons for being a spy were rooted in revenge, Martha Bell's important role in the Revolution cannot be denied.

Before the American Revolution, little is known about Martha Bell's childhood. Martha
McFarland was born in 1735 in present-day Alamance County. Her maiden name, McFarland, indicates that she has Scottish-Irish ancestry. McFarland got married to Colonel John McGee in 1759, a widower with two children, Samuel and Elizabeth. They had five children named John, Andrew, William, Jane or Jean, and Susannah. Colonel McGee died in 1773. Martha McGee became the richest widow in her county. She married William Bell on May 6, 1779 and became Martha Bell. Bell would travel day and night serving as a nurse and a midwife to people in the countryside.

Martha Bell contributed to the American Revolution by being a spy for the Patriots with
clever excuses for coming to the Loyalists camps. In addition to being a spy, Bell let General
Cornwallis's troops stay at her mill, as long as General Cornwallis didn't burn her mill. Two days
after General Cornwallis's troops left, some Patriots asked Bell to be a spy. The Patriots needed
to know how many soldiers General Cornwallis had and if more soldiers were coming. She was
happy to help. Bell would complain to the generals that the soldiers "stole" items from her mill
while they were there. While the generals questioned the soldiers, Bell would record how many
weapons the British had, how many people are injured, how many more soldiers are coming,
and what kind weapons the British had. This information was given to the Patriots to help plan
their next attack. After that, Bell continued to be a spy. Whenever Bell was stopped by a Loyalist,
she lied and said she was a midwife on her way to deliver a baby.

Martha Bell lived for forty more years after the American Revolution ended. Not much is
known about what happened in those forty years. Bell died peacefully a year before her husband
on September 9, 1820 at the age of eighty-five.

To conclude, Martha Bell may have been a heroine to seek revenge, but Martha Bell's
role in the American Revolution deserves to be recognized.

Deborah Sampson, Soldier and Daughter of Liberty

Deborah Sampson by Sophie W.


Some people thought that men could only fight in war, but Deborah Sampson proved them wrong. She went to war for many reasons, but she thought that the men needed help.

Deborah Sampson had a difficult childhood. She was born on December 17, 1760 in Massachusetts. She became an indentured servant in 1770 and was very poor. Sampson was the oldest of six children. Her brother left their family when she was very young. Since she was a servant, she lived in many houses. She
lived in one house from ages ten to sixteen. In every house, she learned many things, such as sewing, nursing, reading, writing, and farming . Deborah Sampson married Benjamin Ganet on April 7, 1785, and they had three children.

Sampson had a special role in the Revolutionary War. On May 20, 1782 Deborah Sampson went to war disguised as a man to proved that women could
fight, and to help America win the war. She changed her name to "Robert" to
help pass as a man. Trying to pass at her home town wasn't as easy as she
thought. When she was at the desk the lady recognized a ring on her finger and
told her what she had heard over and over again " are you crazy, women can not
fight in war". However she tried to get in elsewhere and was approved to go to
war. In her first battle on July 13, 1782 she was struck by a bullet in her head and
leg. Her fellow soldiers were very worried and rode her to the hospital. When
she was at the hospital she only let them look at her head but not her leg.
Sampson took out the bullet in her leg by herself. A couple years later, she had a
serious illness, and this time the doctor had to remove her clothes and found she
was a woman. But the doctor kept it a secret because he knew she was helping
his country and with more people they had a greater chance. Her former life as a
servant helped Sampson be a successful soldier. She helped sew clothes even
though she was a "man", she nursed , and helped report commands from the
commander. On November third she got to go back home to Massachusetts after
serving for seventeen months.

Sampson changed many things for many women. Deborah Sampson's
strong soul was her motivation. She thought that the men needed some help and
she was the one to it. She had a significant impact for women to fight in the war.
She was part of the Daughters Of Liberty, and she felt very strong about civil
rights. George Washington congratulated her with a Medal of Honor when he
found out what she had done. She made many speeches about her time in war,
and about her desire for women to be equal to men. There is now a statue of her
next to the public library in Sharon, Massachusetts. Deborah Sampson took her
last breath on April 28, 1827.

Lots of women fight in war now, and Deborah Sampson had an impact on
that. Hopefully at the end of serving she felt like she had helped the men in the
war and accomplished something.