Crispus Attuck (
c.1723—March 5, 1770) an
American slave, merchant seaman and
dockworker of
Wampanoag and
African descent. He was the first casualty of the
Boston Massacre, in
Boston,
Massachusetts, and is widely considered to be the first American casualty in the
American Revolutionary War. Little is known for certain about Attucks beyond that he, along with Samuel Gray and James Caldwell, died "on the spot" during the incident. Two major sources of eyewitness testimony about the Boston Massacre, both published in 1770, did not refer to Attucks as a black man or "Negro"; it appeared that Bostonians accepted him as
mixed race. While the extent of his participation in events leading to the massacre is unclear, Attucks in the 18th century became an icon of the
anti-slavery movement. He was held up as the first martyr of the
American Revolution along with the others killed. In the early 19th century, as the
abolitionist movement gained momentum in Boston, supporters lauded Attucks as a
black American who played a heroic role in the history of the
United States Because Attucks had
Wampanoag ancestors, his story also holds special significance for many
Native Americans.
*1858, Boston-area abolitionists, including
William Cooper Nell, established "Crispus Attucks Day" to commemorate him. *1886, the places where Crispus Attucks and Samuel Gray fell were marked by circles on the pavement. *1888, a monument honoring Attucks and the other victims of the Boston Massacre was erected on
Boston Common. It is over 25 feet high and about 10 feet wide. *Places named for Attucks include the
Crispus Attucks High School in
Indianapolis, Indiana; Attucks Middle School in
Sunnyside,
Houston,
Texas; the
Crispus Attucks Elementary School in
Kansas City, Missouri; the
Attucks Theatre in
Norfolk, Virginia; the Crispus Attucks Association in York, Pennsylvania; Crispus Attucks Road in
Spring Valley, New York; Crispus Attucks Elementary School in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn; Crispus Attucks Park in Carbondale, Illinois; Crispus Attucks Elementary School in East St. Louis, Illinois; Crispus Attucks Park in Washington, DC; the Crispus Attucks Center in
Dorchester, Massachusetts; and the Crispus Attucks Bridge in
Framingham, Massachusetts.
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