Tag «freedom»

Carter Braxton: Declaration of Independence Signee

A young Carter Braxton by Robert Edge Pine, 1820.

At age 39, Carter Braxton (1736-1797), was a delegate from Virginia to the Second Continental Congress. Though he often voted among his peers within the Whig rebellious movement, he was more conservative than most delegates. Rather than a complete break with England, he sought arbitration to settle colonial differences with the mother country. In the …

Washington’s Crossing and African American Prince Whipple: Fact and Fiction

Much has been written about Prince Whipple over the years (c. 1750 – 1796); mainly related to folk lore and romantic vignettes that gained prominence when Prince was incorrectly associated with two paintings depicting General George Washington crossing the Delaware River. Bare bones facts indicate that as a free child in Africa, Prince was caught …

Elizabeth Freeman: African American Woman Sued 1780 State Constitution Over Slavery and Won

In 1780, as the War for Independence raged throughout North America, a crier standing in the central square of Sheffield, Massachusetts, a small town in the western part of the former colony, read from the state’s newly enacted constitution. When he came to Article 1 he clamored, “All Men are born Free and Equal,” a …

Interview with African American Reenactor Noah “Ned Hector” Lewis: Part One

It is a pleasure to present my good friend and American Revolution Photographer Ken Bohrer’s interview with American Revolution reenactor Noah “Ned Hector” Lewis – Black Revolutionary War Hero. This is the first interview of a three part series. Ken Bohrer’s website American Revolution Photos has over eight thousand outstanding photos and dozens of videos of …