First Martyr of Liberty

Crispus Attucks in American Memory

Mitch Kachun

Most thorough study of what is known about the life of Crispus Attucks.
First extended analysis of the role of Attucks in American history and memory.
Figure has been referenced constantly in popular culture throughout the centuries, inc. current series "Luke Cage."

First Martyr of Liberty

Crispus Attucks in American Memory

Mitch Kachun

Description

First Martyr of Liberty explores how Crispus Attucks's death in the 1770 Boston Massacre, often cited as the first man to die in the American Revolution, led to his achieving mythic significance in African Americans' struggle to incorporate their experiences and heroes into the mainstream of the American historical narrative. While the other victims of the Massacre have been largely ignored, Attucks is widely celebrated as the first to die in the cause of freedom during the era of the American Revolution. He became a symbolic embodiment of black patriotism and citizenship.

This book traces Attucks's career through both history and myth to understand how his public memory has been constructed through commemorations and monuments; institutions and organizations bearing his name; juvenile biographies; works of poetry, drama, and visual arts; popular and academic histories; and school textbooks. There will likely never be a definitive biography of Crispus Attucks since so little evidence exists about the man's actual life. While what can and cannot be known about Attucks is addressed here, the focus is on how he has been remembered—variously as either a hero or a villain—and why at times he has been forgotten by different groups and individuals from the eighteenth century to the present day.

First Martyr of Liberty

Crispus Attucks in American Memory

Mitch Kachun

Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1: Who Was This Man?
Chapter 2: The Dustbin of History: Crispus Attucks and American Amnesia, 1770s-1840s
Chapter 3: First Martyr of Liberty: Crispus Attucks and the Struggle for Citizenship in the Civil War Era
Chapter 4: Crispus Attucks Meets Jim Crow: The Segregation of American Memory, 1870s-1910s
Chapter 5: Crispus Attucks Meets the New Negro: Black History and Black Heroes between the World Wars
Chapter 6: Crispus Attucks Meets Dorie Miller: Black Patriotism and Activism in the World War II Era
Chapter 7: Crispus Attucks and the Black Freedom Struggle, 1950s-1970s
Chapter 8: Crispus Attucks from the Bicentennial to the Culture Wars, 1970s-1990s
Chapter 9: Crispus Attucks in Twenty-First Century America
Conclusion
Notes
Index

First Martyr of Liberty

Crispus Attucks in American Memory

Mitch Kachun

Author Information

Mitch Kachun, Professor of History, Western Michigan University

Mitch Kachun is Professor of History at Western Michigan University. He is the author of Festivals of Freedom: Memory and Meaning in African American Emancipation Celebrations, 1808-1915 and co-editor of The Curse of Caste; or the Slave Bride: A Rediscovered African American Novel by Julia C. Collins.

First Martyr of Liberty

Crispus Attucks in American Memory

Mitch Kachun

Reviews and Awards

"A kaleidoscopic social biography of how Crispus Attucks obtained immortality, symbolism, and continued dynamism through his actions against British troops occupying areas of Boston. First Martyr of Liberty is an excellent read to explore how myths proliferate, how scholarship can illuminate, and how one can choose to commemorate a sacrificed life." - Ida Jones, Journal of African American History

"This intriguing and thoughtful book explores how and why Attucks gained prominence and meaning during different periods in US history, and how memories of Attucks echoed those times....Kachun's book is a fascinating exploration of those meanings and of the nature of historical memory in the US....Highly recommended." - CHOICE

"well written, thoroughly researched, and filled with cogent analysis about the memory of Crispus Attucks. Kachun deserves commendation for his judicious discussions of the relationship between history and memory, of what the narratives woven concerning Attucks demonstrate about society's collective memory, and of why the story of a man killed over two and a half centuries ago still resonates today. This is a book that will work well in upper-division undergraduate classes as well as graduate seminars, and that will also appeal to non- academic readers." - Evan C. Rothera, Historical Journal of Massachusetts

"[A] great read for a grounded biography of the man... and a thorough examination of inten¬tion in American history" - Netisha Currie, Federal History