![]() Because Attucks and fellow victim and sailor James Caldwell had no family or home in Boston, their bodies lay in state at Faneuil Hall. 10 In the following days, the people of Boston held a funeral procession for the victims of the massacre. Two musket balls ripped through Attucks chest, killing him instantly. ![]() 9 Amid the chaos, Private Montgomery and the rest of the soldiers fired into the crowd. Observers noted Attucks leaned his tall frame on his cordwood club. A crowd formed around a small group of British soldiers, hurling snowballs, ice balls, and insults at the men. On March 5, 1770, witnesses placed Attucks at the head of a group of sailors brandishing clubs and marching toward King Street. How and when he gained his freedom is unknown, but it is possible that Attucks used the name Michael Johnson to protect himself from a return to slavery. William Brown of Framingham placed an advertisement to call for the return of a twenty-seven year old escaped enslaved man named "Crispas," described as a six foot two inch "mulatto." 8 Contemporary sources at the time of his death do not identify Attucks as enslaved or formerly enslaved. 7 He also appears in a 1750 advertisement in the Boston Gazette. 6 Attucks shares the name "Crispus" with the son of Emperor Constantine. 5 His first name reflects the trend in the colonial era of enslavers forcing an Ancient Roman name onto their enslaved people. 3 His last name, "Attucks," is of Indigenous origin, deriving from the Natick word for "deer." 4 Witness testimony during the Massacre trial interchangeably used "mulatto" or "Indian" to describe Attucks, indicating his mixed African and Indigenous birth. After uncovering his actual name, newspapers published a few details about his life, notably his profession, a sailor his birth in Framingham, Massachusetts his current residence of New Providence in the Bahamas and his ship's destination of North Carolina. Early coverage and investigations into the details of the Massacre refer to Attucks as Michael Johnson, 2 a name he may have used as an intentional alias. The life of Crispus Attucks is far less documented than his death. Death instantly transformed Attucks from an anonymous sailor into a martyr for a burgeoning revolutionary cause. 1 His death and that of four other men at the hands of the 29 th Regiment became known as the Boston Massacre. Crispus Attucks, a sailor of mixed African and Indigenous ancestry, died in Boston on Maafter British soldiers fired two musket balls into his chest.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |