Crispus Attucks, one of the first men to die for American freedom, was a fugitive slave who had escaped from his master and had worked for twenty years as a merchant seaman. When Samuel Adams, prominent leader of the struggle against British domination of the American colonies, called upon the dock workers and seamen in the port of Boston to demonstrate against the British troops guarding the customs commissioners, Crispus Attucks responded to the plea. Aroused by Adams’ exhortations, a group of 40 to 50 patriots, armed with clubs, sticks and snowballs, approached the British soldiers. Attucks was apparently in the front of the line of the aroused citizens, urging them on. Suddenly there was a terse order – “Fire!” The British troops responded with a barrage of rifle fire.
- Subject Matter: Portrait
- Created: 1996
- Inventory Number: 212444
- Current Location: Maxwell Library
Other Work From Anderson Gallery - BSU
Powered by Artwork Archive