events

"The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker's Hill, 17 June, 1775," by John Trumbull (after 1815-before 1831), Museum of Fine Arts Boston. Depicted in the lower-right-hand corner is a Black American soldier.

The Struggle for Freedom: Patriots of Color at Bunker Hill 
A webinar co-sponsored by the Shirley-Eustis House Association, National Parks of Boston, 
and the Gibson House Museum
Tuesday, September 15, 2020, 12:00 p.m.
Thursday, September 24, 2020, 7:00 p.m.
*Free of charge

The Gibson House Museum is proud to co-host with the Shirley-Eustis House Association and National Parks of Boston an online presentation highlighting the lives of three Black men who fought against the British at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Barzillai Lew, Cuff Whittemore, and Jude Hall were among the thousands of men of color--some enslaved, some free--who chose to fight with the Patriots in a war that seemed to hold no explicit promise of liberty for Black people. 

National Parks of Boston staff members Merrill Kohlhofer and Gabriella Hornbeck have combed through archival records and recent research to piece together the stories of these men and their reasons for supporting the Patriot cause. The presentation offers a sample of the growing efforts among historians to revisit and revise the conventional stories we tell about the American Revolution. 

A question-and-answer session will follow to allow participants to ask in-depth questions about the soldiers' lives. The session will also provide information on the resources available for exploring this thread of American history. 

The Gibson family has a special connection with the Battle of Bunker Hill: Rosamond Warren Gibson's great-granduncle, the famed Patriot Major General (and Dr.) Joseph Warren, was killed in the battle. (Gibson House builder Catherine Hammond Gibson had a Revolutionary War connection, too: her uncle William Dawes accompanied Paul Revere on his famous ride.)

This program is funded by a generous grant from the Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati. 

*To register, please visit www.eventbrite.com/e/the-struggle-for-freedom-patriots-of-color-at-bunker-hill-tickets-116343682085 



Additional events coming soon!