Crispus Attucks was born in slavery at Farmingham, Massachusetts, about 1723. His parents were trusted servants of Colonel Buckminster, a large landowner. His father had been brought to this country from west Africa and his mother was a native Natick Indian.

Crispus, called Cris as a boy, lived with his parents in a cottage near Colonel Buckminster’s Big House. He became a good worker and was popular with the other slaves, but from early childhood longed to be free. From contacts which he had occasionally with sailors, he formed a great desire to work on a ship.

Cris grew up to be a large muscular young man. Colonel Buckminster selected him to become his personal coachman, but he was unhappy with this assignment. He still wanted to be free and to work on a ship. Finally Colonel Buckminster, seeing that he was unhappy, sold him to a trader named Deacon Brown.

Deacon Brown bought and sold cattle and owned a chandler’s shop for making candles. He trusted Cris and allowed him to travel widely to buy and sell cattle. He even allowed him to take short trips on ships along the Massachusetts coast. Cris loved this life, but still was a slave hoping sometime to be free.

Now and then large whaling vessels came to Boston to sell whalebone and whale oil. Young Attucks looked at these vessels and yearned to become a member of their crews. At last he ran away from Deacon Brown and became a harpooner on a whaling vessel. For years he traveled on the ship, capturing whales.

Occasionally when the whaling vessel stopped at Boston, Attucks mingled with crowds on the streets. In later years the crowds voiced objection to taxes which the English government levied on the colonies. They were especially angered when British troops came to Boston to enforce collection of the taxes.

Attucks gradually became a leader of colonial patriots opposing taxation without representation. He joined crowds that objected to having British troops stationed in Boston. Finally on March 5, 1770, the British troops fired on a crowd, killing Attucks and two associates, and fatally wounding two others.

This, in brief, is the substance of a delightful story told by Dharathula H. Millender, distinguished teacher and librarian. She clearly shows how Crispus Attucks, born in slavery, had a burning desire from early childhood to be free. This urge led him to espouse the cause of freedom in America and to become the first to fall in attempting to bring this freedom about.

From the dust jacket