Crispus Attucks was born in 1773 in Framingham, Massachusetts. His father was a slave and his mother was a Natick Indian. Crispus was born into slavery and decided to escape. But, that is not what Crispus is known for, he is known for his brave act in the Boston Massacre but unfortunately was the first to fall in the war. In 1888 the Crispus Attucks Monument was unveiled in Boston Common.
The Boston Massacre, was a deadly riot between the British and the American colonists. Originally it started a little conflict between the two and quickly transferred into a big fight that caused a great deal of death and led to a campaign by writers to make, and bring together the citizens of Britten. A British officer, Captain Thomas Preston, called in additional soldiers, and these too were attacked, so the soldiers fired into the mob, killing 3 on the spot who were (a black sailor named Crispus Attucks, ropemaker Samuel Gray, and a mariner named James Caldwell), and wounding 8 others, two of whom died later (Samuel Maverick and Patrick Carr).
On the cold winter night of March 5th, 1770 a brutal street fight broke out between American Colonists and a lone British troop that left 3 people dead on the spot. Private White was the only one who was guarding the kings money stored inside the Custom House on King Street. At some point Private White fought back against the unpeaceful protesters who were insulting him by throwing objects such as tiny rocks, snowballs, etc. As these acts continued, Private White called for backup as he fell. Soon British troops and American Colonists were standing neck to neck waiting for someone to fire. Obnoxiously someone from the crowd yelled “FIRE” and Crispus Attucks was unfortunately the one who fell first in this deadly riot
Attucks became a Martyr (a person who is killed because of their religious or other beliefs.) His body was transported to Faneuil Hall, where he and the others killed in the attack lay in state until March 8th. City leaders waived segregation laws in the case and permitted Attucks to be buried with the others. In the years since his death, Attucks’ legacy has continued to endure, first with the American colonists eager to break from British rule, and later among 19th-century abolitionists and 20th-century civil rights activists. In his 1964 book Why We Can’t Wait, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. announced Attucks for his moral courage and his defining role in American history
The Boston Massacre / Crispus Attucks monument honors the victims of the Boston Massacre. It stands in Boston, Massachusetts at 25 feet high and 10 feet wide. On the top stands a figure representing the Spirit of the Revolution inspired by Eugene Delacroix’s painting of Liberty Leading the People, a symbol of the French Revolution. She holds a broken chain in her right hand to symbolize freedom from the oppressors and in her left hand she holds the American flag. With her right foot, she crushes the crown of the British monarchy and next to her other foot an eagle prepares to fly.
