The very first writing by a person of African descent in the future United States was "Bars Fight" (1746) by freedwoman Lucy Terry, c.1730–1821.
August, ’twas the twenty-fifth,
Seventeen hundred forty-six,
The Indians did in ambush lay,
Some very valient men to slay,
1/13
August, ’twas the twenty-fifth,
Seventeen hundred forty-six,
The Indians did in ambush lay,
Some very valient men to slay,
1/13
2/13
The names of whom I’ll not leave out:
Samuel Allen like a hero fout,
And though he was so brave and bold,
His face no more shall we behold.
Eleazor Hawks was killed outright,
Before he had time to fight –
Before he did the Indians see,
Was shot and killed immediately.
The names of whom I’ll not leave out:
Samuel Allen like a hero fout,
And though he was so brave and bold,
His face no more shall we behold.
Eleazor Hawks was killed outright,
Before he had time to fight –
Before he did the Indians see,
Was shot and killed immediately.
3/13
Oliver Armsden he was slain,
Which caused his friends much grief and pain.
Simeon Arsden they found dead
Not many rods distant from his head.
(Note: a "rod" is a unit of measurement)
Oliver Armsden he was slain,
Which caused his friends much grief and pain.
Simeon Arsden they found dead
Not many rods distant from his head.
(Note: a "rod" is a unit of measurement)
4/13
Adonijah Gillet, we do hear,
Did lose his life which was so dear.
John Sadler fled across the water,
And thus escaped the dreadful slaughter.
Adonijah Gillet, we do hear,
Did lose his life which was so dear.
John Sadler fled across the water,
And thus escaped the dreadful slaughter.
5/13
Eunice Allen see the Indians coming,
And hopes to save herself by running;
And had not her petticoats stopped her,
The awful creatures had not catched her,
Eunice Allen see the Indians coming,
And hopes to save herself by running;
And had not her petticoats stopped her,
The awful creatures had not catched her,
6/13
Nor tommy hawked her on the head,
And left her on the ground for dead.
Young Samuel Allen, Oh, lack-a-day!
Was taken and carried to Canada.
(End.)
Terry wrote "Bars Fight" in 1746 to commemorate that year's Abenaki Indian attack.
(Note "bars" is archaic for meadows.)
Nor tommy hawked her on the head,
And left her on the ground for dead.
Young Samuel Allen, Oh, lack-a-day!
Was taken and carried to Canada.
(End.)
Terry wrote "Bars Fight" in 1746 to commemorate that year's Abenaki Indian attack.
(Note "bars" is archaic for meadows.)
7/13
Lucy Terry's poem was preserved orally until publication three decades after her death, in J. G. Holland’s History of Western Massachusetts, 1855.
"Born in Africa but sold into slavery as an infant, Terry was purchased in Bristol, Rhode Island, by Ensign Ebenezer Wells."
Lucy Terry's poem was preserved orally until publication three decades after her death, in J. G. Holland’s History of Western Massachusetts, 1855.
"Born in Africa but sold into slavery as an infant, Terry was purchased in Bristol, Rhode Island, by Ensign Ebenezer Wells."
8/13
"Twelve years later, she married a free black man named Abijah Prince, a veteran of the French and Indian War who purchased her freedom. Granted his own freedom because of his military service, Prince owned three parcels of land in northern Massachusetts and Vermont."
"Twelve years later, she married a free black man named Abijah Prince, a veteran of the French and Indian War who purchased her freedom. Granted his own freedom because of his military service, Prince owned three parcels of land in northern Massachusetts and Vermont."
9/13
"In 1760, the Princes settled in Guilford, VT, where their 6 children were born; a son, Cesar Prince, fought in the Revolutionary War. In addition to properties in Northfield & Guilford, Abijah Prince owned 100 acres in Sunderland, VT, a town he helped found."
"In 1760, the Princes settled in Guilford, VT, where their 6 children were born; a son, Cesar Prince, fought in the Revolutionary War. In addition to properties in Northfield & Guilford, Abijah Prince owned 100 acres in Sunderland, VT, a town he helped found."
10/13
Over the next 50 years, Lucy Terry gained a reputation as a skilled orator. She was also a vigilant protector of her family’s interests in the predominantly white region. In 1785, after a group of white neighbors attacked the Princes’ property in Guilford, ...
Over the next 50 years, Lucy Terry gained a reputation as a skilled orator. She was also a vigilant protector of her family’s interests in the predominantly white region. In 1785, after a group of white neighbors attacked the Princes’ property in Guilford, ...
11/13
"...Lucy Terry and her husband appealed to Vermont’s governor for help; he ruled that the town’s selectmen must protect the Princes from attack. Her three-hour argument before the State Supreme Court on behalf of a disputed land claim earned Terry praise...
"...Lucy Terry and her husband appealed to Vermont’s governor for help; he ruled that the town’s selectmen must protect the Princes from attack. Her three-hour argument before the State Supreme Court on behalf of a disputed land claim earned Terry praise...
12/13
"...from the leading white attorneys of the state during the 1790s. She died in 1821, more than three decades before her poem was published. “Bars Fight” is the first poem written by a woman of African descent in what would become the United States."
"...from the leading white attorneys of the state during the 1790s. She died in 1821, more than three decades before her poem was published. “Bars Fight” is the first poem written by a woman of African descent in what would become the United States."
13/13
Historical narrative about Lucy Terry quoted from Gene Andrew Jarrett's 2014 Wiley Blackwell Anthology of African American Literature, listed in our growing "Art & Literature" section in our Compendium of Free Black Thought: bit.ly/3x3G1VP
Historical narrative about Lucy Terry quoted from Gene Andrew Jarrett's 2014 Wiley Blackwell Anthology of African American Literature, listed in our growing "Art & Literature" section in our Compendium of Free Black Thought: bit.ly/3x3G1VP
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