Crispus Attucks

Considered the first casualty of the American Revolution
Is this him? "A Mulatto fellow, about 27 Years of Age, named Crispus, 6 feet 2 inches high, short cur'l hair, his knees nearer together than common."
Worked as a slave, a sailor, and a ropemaker
British sailors often worked second jobs cheaply, threatening the livelihoods of others.
The British Navy often “impressed” American sailors, forcing them into labor for years at a time

Biography
According to some evidence, Crispus’ father was African. “Crispus” may be an ancient Roman name
His mother may have been a Wampanoag Indian, from a “praying town” family near Natick, Massachusetts. “Attucks” and “Natick” may be native derivations of the word “deer.”
Attucks was rather large in stature and known for agitating others. He probably escaped from his master during a trip to join a whaling expedition
Not long before the Massacre, off-duty British soldiers attempted to enter a pub to find work

John Adams described those who started the riot as "a motley rabble of saucy boys, negroes and molattoes, Irish teagues and outlandish jack tarrs [sic]”
John Fiske, historian: “The soldiers did many things that greatly annoyed the people. They led brawling, riotous lives, and made the quiet streets hideous by night with their drunken shouts. ... On Sundays the soldiers would race horses on the Common, or would play `Yankee Doodle' just outside the church-doors during the services."

After the riot, John Adams defended the soldiers in court. He theorized that Attucks was a “rabble-rouser” who helped create the emergency
Attucks became a hero of the abolition movement, especially as the Civil War approached
During periods of war, Attucks becomes a symbol of hard work, patriotism, and devotion to the ideals of democracy
In recent decades, he is also an example of ethnic diversity (sometimes forced) in American history