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Black History and Blacks in U.S. History
Colonial America (1492-1765)
 Crispus Attucks

Crispus Attucks
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 5 to 7
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   5.73

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    finding, massacre, slavery, jury, skilled, public, jobs, conclusion, freedom, navy, dislike, nearly, murder, honor, lead, service
     content words:    American Revolution, Crispus Attucks, Nantucket Indian, British Army, John Adams, United States, Crispus Attucks Day

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Crispus Attucks
By Jane Runyon 		  
1     The very first man killed in the American Revolution was a black man named Crispus Attucks. There are a lot of questions about how he became the first victim. Let's see if the facts lead us to a conclusion about the event.
 
2     It is believed by many historians that Crispus Attucks was the son of an African brought to America to be a slave. His mother is thought to be a Nantucket Indian. As the son of a slave, he was also considered to be a slave by his owner. He became skilled at buying and selling cattle. In 1750, he escaped his owner and tried to make a free life for himself. A wanted poster found in Boston described Attucks as being 6 feet 2 inches tall with short curly hair and knees that were too close together. He was able to avoid capture and worked at many jobs to support himself. Most of his time, he worked as a sailor on ships that fished for whales. Some of the time, he made ropes in Boston. He came to dislike the British because they were a threat to him while he worked either job. As a sailor, he could be pressed into service with the British navy. He had trouble finding a job making ropes because the men of the British Army were willing to do jobs like this for less money.

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