American Revolution

Armistead was born in New Kent, Virginia. He was a slave owned by William Armistead. In 1781, he volunteered to join the US army to fight for the American Revolution. His master gave him permission and he was placed under the charge of the Marquis de Lafayette, the commander of allied French forces.

Armistead was given the task of spying on the British. He posed as a runaway slave hired by the British to spy on the Americans. He successfully gained the trust of British General Charles Cornwallis. He also received information from Benedict Arnold. Because of his being able to be a "double-spy," Armistead gathered valuable information that helped Lafayette and General Washington from preventing 10,000 British reinforcements from reaching Yorktown, Virginia. This allowed American forces to win the decisive battle that led to the surrender of General Cornwallis.

After the war, Armistead discovered that he was not eligible for emancipation because he was a spy and not a soldier. The Marquis de Lafayette hand wrote a letter to the Virginia Legislature requesting that Armistead have his freedom. The Virginia Legislature relented and granted Armistead his freedom. James Armistead, in gratitude to Lafayette for his help, changed his name from Armistead to Lafayette.

The names of Washington, Jefferson, Adams and Franklin are remembered when mentioning the American Revolution. However, it was because of the actions of men like James Armistead that we won the war. His service to his new country made him one of our first great Americans.

Very little is known about Crispus Attucks' early years. He was born sometime around 1723. His father is thought to have been a slave brought from Africa and his mother a Natick Indian. He was believed to have been a runaway slave from William Brown of Framingham, Massachusetts. According to some accounts, Attucks escaped to Nantucket Island and sailed as a harpooner on a whaling ship under the name Michael Johnson.

He made history on March 5, 1770. A crowd of colonists confronted a British sentry and shots were fired after the crowd began throwing snowballs and oyster shells. Attucks led a group of men to Kings Street in Boston where the melee took place. When the shots were fired, Attucks was the first one shot. He died instantly.

Members of the Sons of Liberty took his body to Faneuil Hall where he was to lay in state. The event that took place would forever be known as the "Boston Massacre." Some historians call this event the "true" start of the American Revolution with Attucks being its first casualty.

In his introduction of the book "Why We Can't Wait," author Martin Luther King, Jr. referred to Attucks as "an example of a man whose contribution to history, though much-overlooked by standard histories, provided a potent message of moral courage." He has been hailed as a true American martyr, "the first to pour out his blood as a precious libation on the altar of a people's rights." It is said that he is the first great African-American hero not just for what he did for his race but what he did for all of the oppressed peoples of America. He is one of the first great Americans.

Salem Poor was born a slave in Andover, Massachusetts sometime during 1747. In 1769, he was able to buy his freedom for 27 pounds, equivalent to a year’s salary at the time. He married a free mulatto woman in 1771 and continued to live in Andover.

In May of 1775, Poor enlisted in the local militia. After the events at Lexington & Concord, Poor’s regiment was ordered to march from Cambridge to Charleston and dig in at the top of Bunker Hill outside of the town. As the Battle of Bunker Hill took place, Poor distinguished himself by killing British Colonel James Abercrombie, who had just taken over command of British forces after the fatal wounding of British General Joseph Warren.

One month later, General George Washington ended the recruitment of blacks in the colonial militias. Four months later, he issued orders that prohibited any black men from serving in the Continental Army. Many of the officers of Poor’s regiment wrote a petition citing his heroism, bravery and conduct. When the British got word of Washington’s orders, Lord Dunmore offered freedom to all slaves who would fight for the British. Washington immediately changed his position on black recruitment and Poor re-enlisted.

Poor stayed with the Continental Army until 1780. Records show that Poor participated in the Battle of White Plains, Battle of Saratoga, Battle of Monmouth and camped with Washington at Valley Forge. He died sometime around 1802. In 1976, a commemorative bicentennial stamp was issued depicting Salem Poor as a revolutionary war hero. His actions during the American Revolution made him a Great American.