Best known for his role in The Boston Massacre, Crispus Attucks was born with Indian and African blood running through his veins. Unable to bear the hardships of slavery, Crispus escaped his slave master and headed to the sea to become a sailor. On March 5, 1770 Crispus Attucks became the first martyr in the fight for independence of our nation.
$19.95
On November 7, 1731, Benjamin Banneker was born in colonial Maryland. Born a free black into a loving family, Benjamin’s grandmother, Molly Welsh, taught him how to read, write, farm and interpret the night sky. This remarkable young boy grew to become one of world’s most brilliant inventors, astronomers, scientists and mathematician.
$19.95
Kidnapped from the west coast of Africa, nine year old Phillis huddled in the corner of a slave ship bound for the Americas. Upon arriving she was purchased as a slave by Susannah Wheatley who dared to teach this African child to read and write. With the support and love of Susannah, Phillis blossomed into one of the most influential Africans during the colonial period. Her pen became her voice against slavery and love of freedom.
$19.95
James Forten was born free in Philadelphia in 1766. Apprenticing as a sailmaker, James quickly became a foreman in 1786 and by 1798 he owned his own company. A successful businessman and entrepreneur he amassed a fortune of over $100,000. With the thunderous sounds of the War of 1812, James along with Bishop Richard Allen and Rev. Absalom Jones enlisted 2500 black men to guard Philadelphia.
$8.95
On the morning of May 19, 1775, a contingent of minutemen, under the leadership of Ethan Allen, commandeered a notable victory when they invaded the British-held Fort Ticonderoga and demanded its surrender shouting “In the name of The Great Jehovah and the Continental Congress! As the British commander surrendered, a group of brave patriots stood, waving the flag that distinguished them as the Green Mountain Boys. In that group stood Lemuel Haynes, an African American.
$8.95
Living in The City of Brotherly Love, Richard Allen, a former slave found the freedom he had always longed for. One Sunday morning, the freedom in which he cherished was threatened when he, along with other African Americans were told they were not allowed to knell and pray in St. George’s Methodist Church. This act of racial prejudice catapulted him unto a path of leadership and the founding of The African Methodist Episcopal Church and The Free African Society.
$8.95
