The first Africans arrived in Boston in February of 1638, eight years after the city was founded. They were brought as slaves, purchased in Providence Isle, a Puritan colony off the coast of Central America. By 1705, there were over 400 slaves in Boston and the beginnings of a free black community in the North End.
I live in a section of the North End that is near to where the free black community was established--Copps Hill. This part of the city was the least desireable because it was not near the docks and it was situated on a hill.
The two most famous blacks in colonial Boston were Phillis Wheatley and Crispus Attucks. Wheatley arrived in Boston as a frail, sickly slave girl, about 7 years old, directly from Africa. The family that bought her taught her to read and write. Phillis began to write poetry and for a times perhaps the most famous African born person in the world. She was set free, but never prospered from her poetry. She died in poverty.
On Being Brought from Africa to America
'Twas mercy brought me from my Pagan land,
Taught my benighted soul to understand
That there's a God, that there's a Saviour too:
Once I redemption neither sought nor knew.
Some view our sable race with scornful eye
"Their colour is a diabolic die.
Remember, Christians, Negro's, black as Cain,
May be refin'd, and join th' angelic train.
--Phillis Wheatley
Attucks, who also went by the name of Michael Johnson, became famous as one of the victims of the Boston Massacre. He was described as black and American Indian.
The American Revolution was a turning point in the status of Africans in Massachusetts. At the end of the conflict, there were more free black people than slaves. When the first federal census was enumerated in 1790, Massachusetts was the only state in the Union to record no slaves.
The all-free black community in Boston was concerned with finding decent housing, establishing independent supportive institutions, educating their children, and ending slavery in the rest of the nation. All of these concerns were played out in this Beacon Hill neighborhood.
An interesting post. I'm not familiar with the Black Heritage Trail nor did I realize this all took place in Beacon Hill. I am familiar with Wheatley and Attucks, however, but thanks for the reminder.
ReplyDelete"Some view our sable race with scornful eye
ReplyDelete"Their colour is a diabolic die."
The level of racism from then to today seems to have hardly abated.
That she's apologizing for being black is sad. That people who are college professors can openly mock the idea that there is a history of lack America worth regarding isn't sad, it's as disgusting as anything that ever came out of the mouth of Goebbels.
ReplyDeleteI would have left it in sight, just to remind everyone what American "conservatism" is really about: hate, arrogance and evil.
If it were still here, I could forward it to the dean of faculty at that god-forsaken, but publicly supported college he teaches at. To think that people pay taxes to support what nearly half a million Americans died fighting.
Sorry, Fogg, I found the comment so vile and repulsive I just got rid of it.
ReplyDeleteI did not want anyone coming here and being further insulted by such ignorant, repugnant vomitus.
This clown has been at it for so long, my guess is his little school is completely aware of his disturbed ravings.
I also do not want to encourage him to return since we have been able to so far keep the beach pretty troll-free.
Next time I find myself repulsed enough to delete, I will NOT delete forever thereby giving other members here the option of being able to further pursue a comment.
ReplyDeleteSorry, didn't think of that until now.
Rocky, no need for any regrets. As a community, we agreed to this system, and it works. All things considered, I think this worked out for the best.
ReplyDelete