Скачать или смотреть Honoring African American Patriots of Massachusetts 250

As we mark Massachusetts 250, we honor the African Americans whose courage helped shape the fight for freedom in America.

The story of Massachusetts is inseparable from the story of African Americans who fought for freedom long before it was guaranteed to them.
Crispus Attucks, a man of African and Indigenous descent, became the first martyr of the American Revolution when he was killed during the Boston Massacre in 1770. His death was not an accident of history. It was the result of resistance to injustice and a demand for liberty.

African Americans served in militias, worked as sailors and laborers, gathered intelligence, and supported the fight for independence across Massachusetts. During the Civil War, Black soldiers again answered the call, helping to preserve the Union and end slavery.

Despite discrimination and exclusion, African Americans consistently stood at the center of America’s fight for freedom. Massachusetts 250 is an opportunity to tell that full story and honor those whose courage helped shape the nation.

Massachusetts has always been a place where the struggle for freedom was tested and advanced. Today, we remember these brave individuals not just as part of history, but as builders of America’s unfinished promise of equality and justice for all.

Their legacy lives on.