First Martyr of Liberty
Crispus Attucks in American Memory
New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2017]
Format: Book
Description: xi, 308 pages : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm
"First Martyr of Liberty explores how Crispus Attucks's death in the 1770 Boston Massacre, often cited as the first man to die in the American Revolution, led to his achieving mythic significance in African Americans' struggle to incorporate their experiences and heroes into the mainstream ofthe American historical narrative. While the other victims of the Massacre have been largely ignored, Attucks is widely celebrated as the first to die in the cause of freedom during the era of the American Revolution. He became a symbolic embodiment of black patriotism and citizenship. This book traces Attucks's career through both history and myth to understand how his public memory has been constructed through commemorations and monuments; institutions and organizations bearing his name; juvenile biographies; works of poetry, drama, and visual arts; popular and academichistories; and school textbooks. There will likely never be a definitive biography of Crispus Attucks since so little evidence exists about the man's actual life. While what can and cannot be known about Attucks is addressed here, the focus is on how he has been remembered - variously as either ahero or a villain - and why at times he has been forgotten by different groups and individuals from the eighteenth century to the present day."--Provided by the publisher. Provided by publisher.
Contents:
Who was this man? -- The dustbin of history: Crispus Attucks and American amnesia, 1770s-1840s -- First martyr of liberty: Crispus Attucks and the struggle for citizenship in the Civil War era -- Crispus Attucks meets Jim Crow: the segregation of American memory, 1870s-1910s -- Crispus Attucks meets the new Negro: Black history and Black heroes between the world wars -- Crispus Attucks meets Dorie Miller: Black patriotism and activism in the World War II era -- Crispus Attucks and the Black freedom struggle, 1950s-1970s -- Crispus Attucks from the bicentennial to the culture wars, 1970s-1990s -- Crispus Attucks in twenty-first century America.
Subjects:
Attucks, Crispus, -1770 -- Influence.
African Americans -- Biography.
Revolutionaries -- Massachusetts -- Boston -- Biography.
Boston Massacre, 1770.
Attucks, Crispus, -1770 -- Influence.
African Americans -- Biography.
Revolutionaries -- Massachusetts -- Boston -- Biography.
Boston Massacre, 1770.
ISBN:
9780199731619
Availability | |||
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Call Number | Location | Shelf Location | Status |
HISTORY War American Rev Kac | Cooper (Forest Acres) | Nonfiction | In |
Includes bibliographical references and index.