I'm going to do something crazy and start a Black History month thread about black patriots who loved America and its ideals.
We'll start with Crispus Attucks, who died in the Boston Massacre of 1770. "The first to defy, the first to die." crispusattucksmuseum.org/crispus-attuck/
2) Salem Poor, a slave who bought his freedom then in 1775 volunteered to fight in a Massachusetts militia. Served at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Shot the enemy officer who killed patriot General Joseph Warren. Served until 1780. legendsofamerica.com/salem-poor/
3) Salem Poor fought so heroically that all 14 patriot regimental commanders at Bunker Hill petitioned the Massachusetts General Court to reward him as "a brave and gallant soldier. The reward due to so great and distinguished a character, we submit to the Congress."
4) No other enlisted soldier of the American Revolution received such recognition.
Salem Poor served at Fort George, White Plains, Saratoga, 1776-77; at Valley Forge PA, 1777-78, and elsewhere until 1780.
He died in poverty, 1802, and was buried at Copps Hill Cemetery, Boston.
5) Peter Salem, a slave freed in 1775 when his owner received a military commission. Salem fought at Bunker Hill and is believed to have shot enemy Major John Pitcairn who was demanding the patriots' surrender. He served nearly 5 years in the American Revolution.
6) There has been an attempt since 1984 to build a monument to black patriots who fought for America's independence. Congress authorized it in 1986 but the monument didn't fit the grievance narrative & the $6 million in private funds were never raised. washingtonpost.com/local/memorial…
7) Halle Berry introduces this 14-minute video about free and enslaved blacks who fought for American independence. One of the most important was a spy, James, who had infiltrated the command of enemy General Cornwallis.
8) At some points in the Revolutionary War, nearly 1 in 5 American soldiers were black men, but you wouldn't know it from traditional histories or 1619 Project fiction. revolutionarywarjournal.com/african-americ…
No monument exists to memorialize America's first African-American US Senator, Hiram Revels.
We all know why. Senator Revels was a Republican.
Old southern Democrats were Jim Crow types. Today such a statue would undermine the victimization grift industry.
13) Back to the Revo: Washington, a southern slaveholder, had resisted enlistment of blacks in the Continental Army, but pressure from northern colonies, the many blacks who wanted to enlist, and British ops to recruit blacks and treat them equally, caused him to change his mind.
14) “As the General is informed that numbers of free Negroes are desirous of enlisting, he gives leave to the recruiting officers to entertain them, and promises to lay the matter before the Congress, who, he doubts not, will approve of it.” General George Washington, 12/30/1775
15) History: "As the war progressed and the value of black enlistees became more and more apparent ... White soldier’s enlistments ran out and many went home. The black enlistee, by high percentages, remained in the army." revolutionarywarjournal.com/blacks-in-the-…
16) James Armistead was a Virginia slave. Joined the patriot cause. Posed as a runaway & infiltrated British, who sent him back to spy on Americans. He passed disinformation to British & learned their battle plans which enabled Lafayette at Yorktown. history.com/news/black-her…
17) Prince Whipple was a black slave from New Hampshire who served as a guard to General Washington. Fought at Trenton. He is depicted in the Washington Crossing the Delaware painting, near the bow of the boat, pushing away river ice. He won his freedom. media.nationalgeographic.org/assets/photos/…
18) We all know why the life of this US senator didn't matter to certain of today's historians.
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