Crispus Attucks is widely regarded as the first casualty of the American Revolution, having been killed during the Boston Massacre on March 5, 1770. Born in Framingham, Massachusetts, Attucks was of African and Native American descent, likely a mix of Wampanoag and African heritage. His early life remains somewhat mysterious, but he is believed to have been enslaved before escaping in 1750. A newspaper advertisement from that year described him as a runaway slave named "Crispas."
Attucks worked as a sailor and laborer, spending much of his life near the docks of Boston. On the evening of the Boston Massacre, tensions between colonists and British soldiers escalated into violence. Attucks was part of the crowd protesting British occupation and taxation policies. When the soldiers opened fire, Attucks was the first to fall, making him a symbol of resistance and sacrifice.
His death galvanized anti-British sentiment and fueled the revolutionary movement. Attucks was later honored as a martyr, and his legacy became particularly significant during the abolitionist movement in the 19th century. In 1888, a monument to Crispus Attucks and the other victims of the Boston Massacre was unveiled on Boston Common.
Attucks's story highlights the diverse contributions to the fight for American independence, as well as the complexities of race and identity in colonial America.
