American Histotry Essay, Research Paper

INTRODUCTION

This exhibit is not about war. It is about the zealous account of African- Americans standing up and being counted as defenders of LIBERTY. This LIBERTY encompasses a vision of basic human rights connected with justice as accorded to all other peoples seeking freedom both inside and outside the territorial bounds of America.

American history, at its best, is filled with records of the early colonial settlers searching for a place where the principles of freedom could be expressed and practiced. We are all familiar with the many written proposals, oral discourses, and constitutional provisions which evolved from their democratic ideas. The vibrancy of their words were later put into resolutions which were incorporated into our U. S. Constitution.

The early settlers of America spent arduous hours creating a national document which would hopefully spell out the basic ingredients necessary to sustain a unified democracy within this land. From the beginning, these pioneers wanted to establish a worthy place free of restrictions which would not subvert or obstruct the basic foundations of a viable democratic society. Educational, political, social, and religious freedoms were some of the known necessities for the real American way of life in this new country.

But in the midst of building this democratic society, something strange happened. Out of a desperate need for laborers, the American economic system resolved to the use of indentured servants and slaves. Labor intensive jobs were soaring as the colonies grew into the Thirteen Original Colonies. Soon the freed indentured servants left only the slaves as permanent laborers. Slaves from the African continent made up the bulk of the labor intensive crew.

That “Peculiar Institution” changed the course of democracy in America. By 1650, slavery was legally recognized in America and therefore excluded an extremely large population of humans from the processes of this democracy. From 1619-1863, the institution of slavery was sustained. This widespread existence of black slavery in America lasted throughout the duration of four major wars in this exhibit:

The American Revolution (1775-1783)

The War of 1812 (1812-1815)

The Mexican American War (1846-1848)

The American Civil War (1861-1865)

These four wars, plus the six other wars in this exhibit, produced an unbelievable array of African-American Soldiers of Liberty. The other wars included:

The Indian Campaigns (1866-1890)

The Spanish-American War (1898)

World War I-European War (1914-1918)

World War II-European War (1939-1945)

The Korean War (1950-1953)

The Vietnam War (1959-1973)

The Persian Gulf War (1990-1991)

African-Americans served in all of the above wars fought by American forces for the continuance of FREEDOM and LIBERTY within these borders and abroad. A few of the names of the freedom fighters are well known, but countless others have never been recognized for their patriotism and help in establishing this country as a leader among world democracies. Today these brave victory soldiers can be freely recognized. Our bookstores, magazine publishers, and video distributors are helping to fill the gaps of previous omissions relating to this most important phase of American History. This exhibit will hopefully expand the knowledge about these sometime forgotten heroes who happen to be black.

THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, 1775-1783

CRISPUS ATTUCKS (c. 1723-1770)

On March 5, 1770, Crispus Attucks and a noisy group of Boston Patriots were jeering and “pestering” a contingency of British Redcoats who were sent from England to keep the American colonists in check. The patriots were a mixed group of disgruntled sailors, dock workers, servants, and apprentices. This group was tired of the steady appearance of the British soldiers amongst them. It is said that a group of seven British soldiers came across the Boston Commons facing the Customs House. Attucks took the lead and waved a group of colonists toward the armed soldiers. The British armed soldiers used their bayonets and pushed the congregating colonists aside and forbade them from assembling in groups. Ideas of Liberty were being amply discussed by most colonists. A tense moment came when Attucks and four other white patriots moved closer toward the British soldiers. “Let us drive out these ribalds. They have no business here.” Attucks lunged forward with his “cordwood club” and beckoned the furious crowd to move in and disarm the British soldiers. Attucks was immediately struck twice in the chest by the British and killed. These shots were then followed by a series of others. Historical records listed four others killed: Samuel Gray, James Caldwell, Samuel Maverick, and Patrick Carr.

For the colonists, this was an outrage, and it became known as the BOSTON MASSACRE. Crispus Attucks’ race was secondary to his exemplary heroism and outspoken call for liberty for the American colonists. Attucks’ martyrdom is said to have acted as a catalyst for the American colonists’ eventual war for liberty and freedom from British rule. This war became the American Revolutionary War.

Crispus Attucks and his compatriots were buried in a common grave in Boston. In 1888, the city of Boston erected a bronze and granite statue on the Boston Common to recognize Attucks as the “first to die for independence.”

Crispus Attucks was one of more than 5,000 Blacks, who fought for independence during the American Revolutionary War up until it ended with British General Cornwallis’ surrender at Yorktown on October 19, 1781.

Other historical records recorded other black freedom fighters:

Lemuel Haynes, Primas Black, and Epheram Black who fought as Minutemen at Lexington and Concord, April, 1775.

Peter Salem, Salem Poor, and Jude Hall were soldiers at Bunker Hill, June, 1775.

Prince Whipple and Oliver Cromwell served with General George Washington crossing the Delaware, just before the Battle of Trenton, December 25, 1779.

Other U. S. units included the names:

Charles Davis * Joshua Dunbar * Samuel Dunbar * Prince Easterbrooks * James Forten * Doss Freeman * Tobias Gilmore * Peter Galloway * Primas Hall * Job Hathaway * Ebenezer Hill * Thomas Hollen * Peter Jennings * Abrose Lewis * Titus Minor * Jerimiah Moho * Pomp Peters * Cato Prince * Esek Roberts * Caesar Sankee * Prince Vaughn * Sipeo Watson * Cuff Whitemore * Jesse Wood

African Americans – free, slave, and ex-slave – fought side by side with white colonists seeking independence from British domination. GEORGE WASHINGTON, as Commander of the Continental Army, forbade the enlistment of Blacks – free, slave, or ex-slave – during the early stages of the war. He later learned that the Royal Governor of Virginia, John Murray, Earl of Dunmore, was enlisting slaves and indentured servants into the British army with the promise of “freedom to all slaves who would join the King’s army.” Dunmore’s tactic of lifting the ban on Blacks enlisting in the British army led George Washington to change his mind, and, therefore, Blacks later joined the CONTINENTAL ARMED FORCES.

There were African Americans who served as soldiers and marines. They were on privateers and warships. Today, military records have revealed the names of many early participants who struggled for the establishment of a free America. They were indeed a part of the “SPIRIT OF ‘76.”

Additional names included:

William Appleby * William Balontino * Steven Bond * Charles Bowles * Scipio Brown * George Buley * Seymore Burr * Isaac Carr * Noel Carriere * Samuel Charlton * Caesar Clark * George Cooper * Richard Cozzens * Austin Dabney * John Featherston * Cate Fisk * Jude Hall * Edward Hector * Francis Herd * Agrippa Hull * Jabez Jolly * Jeremy Jonah * Barzillai Lew * Luke Nickelson * Isaac Perkins * Christopher Poynos * Arly Randale * Joseph Ranger * Abram Read * Pomp Reeves * James Robinson * Joel Taburn * John Wheeler * Archelaus White * Cato Wood

Bibliography

INTRODUCTION

This exhibit is not about war. It is about the zealous account of African- Americans standing up and being counted as defenders of LIBERTY. This LIBERTY encompasses a vision of basic human rights connected with justice as accorded to all other peoples seeking freedom both inside and outside the territorial bounds of America.

American history, at its best, is filled with records of the early colonial settlers searching for a place where the principles of freedom could be expressed and practiced. We are all familiar with the many written proposals, oral discourses, and constitutional provisions which evolved from their democratic ideas. The vibrancy of their words were later put into resolutions which were incorporated into our U. S. Constitution.

The early settlers of America spent arduous hours creating a national document which would hopefully spell out the basic ingredients necessary to sustain a unified democracy within this land. From the beginning, these pioneers wanted to establish a worthy place free of restrictions which would not subvert or obstruct the basic foundations of a viable democratic society. Educational, political, social, and religious freedoms were some of the known necessities for the real American way of life in this new country.

But in the midst of building this democratic society, something strange happened. Out of a desperate need for laborers, the American economic system resolved to the use of indentured servants and slaves. Labor intensive jobs were soaring as the colonies grew into the Thirteen Original Colonies. Soon the freed indentured servants left only the slaves as permanent laborers. Slaves from the African continent made up the bulk of the labor intensive crew.

That “Peculiar Institution” changed the course of democracy in America. By 1650, slavery was legally recognized in America and therefore excluded an extremely large population of humans from the processes of this democracy. From 1619-1863, the institution of slavery was sustained. This widespread existence of black slavery in America lasted throughout the duration of four major wars in this exhibit:

The American Revolution (1775-1783)

The War of 1812 (1812-1815)

The Mexican American War (1846-1848)

The American Civil War (1861-1865)

These four wars, plus the six other wars in this exhibit, produced an unbelievable array of African-American Soldiers of Liberty. The other wars included:

The Indian Campaigns (1866-1890)

The Spanish-American War (1898)

World War I-European War (1914-1918)

World War II-European War (1939-1945)

The Korean War (1950-1953)

The Vietnam War (1959-1973)

The Persian Gulf War (1990-1991)

African-Americans served in all of the above wars fought by American forces for the continuance of FREEDOM and LIBERTY within these borders and abroad. A few of the names of the freedom fighters are well known, but countless others have never been recognized for their patriotism and help in establishing this country as a leader among world democracies. Today these brave victory soldiers can be freely recognized. Our bookstores, magazine publishers, and video distributors are helping to fill the gaps of previous omissions relating to this most important phase of American History. This exhibit will hopefully expand the knowledge about these sometime forgotten heroes who happen to be black.

THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, 1775-1783

CRISPUS ATTUCKS (c. 1723-1770)

On March 5, 1770, Crispus Attucks and a noisy group of Boston Patriots were jeering and “pestering” a contingency of British Redcoats who were sent from England to keep the American colonists in check. The patriots were a mixed group of disgruntled sailors, dock workers, servants, and apprentices. This group was tired of the steady appearance of the British soldiers amongst them. It is said that a group of seven British soldiers came across the Boston Commons facing the Customs House. Attucks took the lead and waved a group of colonists toward the armed soldiers. The British armed soldiers used their bayonets and pushed the congregating colonists aside and forbade them from assembling in groups. Ideas of Liberty were being amply discussed by most colonists. A tense moment came when Attucks and four other white patriots moved closer toward the British soldiers. “Let us drive out these ribalds. They have no business here.” Attucks lunged forward with his “cordwood club” and beckoned the furious crowd to move in and disarm the British soldiers. Attucks was immediately struck twice in the chest by the British and killed. These shots were then followed by a series of others. Historical records listed four others killed: Samuel Gray, James Caldwell, Samuel Maverick, and Patrick Carr.

For the colonists, this was an outrage, and it became known as the BOSTON MASSACRE. Crispus Attucks’ race was secondary to his exemplary heroism and outspoken call for liberty for the American colonists. Attucks’ martyrdom is said to have acted as a catalyst for the American colonists’ eventual war for liberty and freedom from British rule. This war became the American Revolutionary War.

Crispus Attucks and his compatriots were buried in a common grave in Boston. In 1888, the city of Boston erected a bronze and granite statue on the Boston Common to recognize Attucks as the “first to die for independence.”

Crispus Attucks was one of more than 5,000 Blacks, who fought for independence during the American Revolutionary War up until it ended with British General Cornwallis’ surrender at Yorktown on October 19, 1781.

Other historical records recorded other black freedom fighters:

Lemuel Haynes, Primas Black, and Epheram Black who fought as Minutemen at Lexington and Concord, April, 1775.

Peter Salem, Salem Poor, and Jude Hall were soldiers at Bunker Hill, June, 1775.

Prince Whipple and Oliver Cromwell served with General George Washington crossing the Delaware, just before the Battle of Trenton, December 25, 1779.

Other U. S. units included the names:

Charles Davis * Joshua Dunbar * Samuel Dunbar * Prince Easterbrooks * James Forten * Doss Freeman * Tobias Gilmore * Peter Galloway * Primas Hall * Job Hathaway * Ebenezer Hill * Thomas Hollen * Peter Jennings * Abrose Lewis * Titus Minor * Jerimiah Moho * Pomp Peters * Cato Prince * Esek Roberts * Caesar Sankee * Prince Vaughn * Sipeo Watson * Cuff Whitemore * Jesse Wood

African Americans – free, slave, and ex-slave – fought side by side with white colonists seeking independence from British domination. GEORGE WASHINGTON, as Commander of the Continental Army, forbade the enlistment of Blacks – free, slave, or ex-slave – during the early stages of the war. He later learned that the Royal Governor of Virginia, John Murray, Earl of Dunmore, was enlisting slaves and indentured servants into the British army with the promise of “freedom to all slaves who would join the King’s army.” Dunmore’s tactic of lifting the ban on Blacks enlisting in the British army led George Washington to change his mind, and, therefore, Blacks later joined the CONTINENTAL ARMED FORCES.

There were African Americans who served as soldiers and marines. They were on privateers and warships. Today, military records have revealed the names of many early participants who struggled for the establishment of a free America. They were indeed a part of the “SPIRIT OF ‘76.”

Additional names included:

William Appleby * William Balontino * Steven Bond * Charles Bowles * Scipio Brown * George Buley * Seymore Burr * Isaac Carr * Noel Carriere * Samuel Charlton * Caesar Clark * George Cooper * Richard Cozzens * Austin Dabney * John Featherston * Cate Fisk * Jude Hall * Edward Hector * Francis Herd * Agrippa Hull * Jabez Jolly * Jeremy Jonah * Barzillai Lew * Luke Nickelson * Isaac Perkins * Christopher Poynos * Arly Randale * Joseph Ranger * Abram Read * Pomp Reeves * James Robinson * Joel Taburn * John Wheeler * Archelaus White * Cato Wood