Founder's Friday: African American Founders

Glenn Beck on his Fox News program today hosted Founder's Friday once again. Today's program was entitled, "African-American Founders." He interviewed both David Barton, founder of Wall Keepers and Lucas Morell, a black college professor, about the contributions blacks made concerning the founding of our country. There were black men such as Peter Salem and Prince Whipple that fought in the American Revolutionary War. How many people today are aware of that? You won't find in today's public school textbooks the mentioning of many blacks that fought in the American Revolutionary War for our country's independence. Whenever studying black history in America from the first slaves that set foot on American soil in 1619 until the abolition of slavery following the Civil War, you won't read about very many blacks that weren't slaves or made notable achievements. The only free blacks that most Americans probably have read about in their U.S. history classes were Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, and maybe to a lesser extent, Josiah Henson escaping from his master to head to Canada to obtain his freedom. Until I watched this evening's program, I myself wasn't familiar with the names of the blacks that were mentioned on Glenn Beck's Fox News program. When writing about the history of blacks in America prior to the Civil War, many historians depict blacks in general as being abused and mistreated by their masters as slaves. That is true to a large extent. However, all blacks weren't mistreated by their masters. There were some great relationships between blacks and whites even in Colonial America. There were some blacks that made notable achievements in American history during that time frame.

In trying to determine how to construct a blogpost in mentioning the achievements of some of these early African Americans, I've decided to randomly mention the names of some of the blacks that fought alongside whites during the Revolutionary War and what they're noted for. It will be a brief description of each of these men. I will later write an essay going more in-depth about some of the early black Americans. I hope you enjoy this.

1. James Armistead - He was a double spy in the American Revolutionary War. He was a spy for General George WAshington.

2. Crispus Attucks - He is considered the first martyr of the American Revolution. In March 1770, a fight broke out between the British soldiers and a crowd of American colonists led by an African American, Crispus Attucks. In the attack, a British soldier was struck on the head with a stick which many believe was Attuck's handiwork, as he was seen without a stick in his hand. The soldier that was struck fired his musket at Attucks and the crowd surrounding him killing five people instantly. He was buried as a hero in the Granary Burying Ground. He is one of the few martyrs of the Boston Massacre and is remembered for his bravery.

3. Colonel Louis Cook - He fought against the British army. It was George Washington, Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, who referred to him as "Colonel Louis." Cook participated in many attacks on the British troops. In March 1770, he was sent by General Phillip Schuyler to destroy British ships at Niagra. He received his commission from the Continental Congress as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Continental Army and was first and perhaps the only African American to be rewarded this highest rank.

4. Jack Sisson - He played an important role in the capture of the British General Richard Prescott in July 1777. He was part of the 40 armed continental soldiers, led by Colonel William Barton, who cut across British controlled waters to sneak up on Prescott. Sisson used his own head to break down Prescott's door and capture him.

5. Prince Estabrook - He was a black slave and a Minuteman who fought and was wounded at the Battle of Lexington, the first battle of the American Revolutionary War. He enlisted in the Lexington militia in 1773 in the company of Captain John Parker, the first to engage the British in Lexington. His master Benjamin Estabrook, granted him his emancipation following his service to the Continental Army.

6. Peter Salem - He was born as a slave in Framingham, Massachusetts sometime around the year 1750. His original owner was Jeremiah Belknap. Jeremiah sold Peter to Lawson Buckminister, who allowed Salem to enlist in the Massachusetts militia. In exchange for enlisting in the army, he received his freedom. He served in the Colonial Army until the end of he War. He also fought at Concord and at Saratoga. Peter Salem has been credited with killing Major John Pitcairn, the leader of the British forces storming the hill. The colonial troops were near defeat and British Major John Pitcairn ordered them to surrender. Salem stepped forward and shot Pitcairn.

7. Prince Whipple - He fought the battles of Saratoga in Delaware during the War for Independence. He was also one 20 enslaved men who petitioned the New Hampshire legislature for freedom in 1779. His own master General William Whipple was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and was an aid to George Washington. Even though Whipple was identified by some as the African American figure in the familiar painting of Washington crossing the Delaware River, it is doubtful he was present on Christmas Eve, 1776.

8. Benjamin Banneker - He was an African American mathematician and American astronomer. He was also a surveyor, an almanac author, and a farmer. He also carved wooden replicas of each piece of used parts from a clock to make a clock that struck hourly. He completed the clock in 1753. The clock was still running when he died in 1806.