The Omaha guide., 1936-11-07
EerOism of the
American Negro
BY John Mills
BY John Mills

7ha American sons of Ham. the
Hamercan or the American Ne
gro has always been loyal to his
country in time Of peace and in
tine of He has played a con-
spicuous part in all Of the great
bottles of his native land.
The valor of the Negro was first
brought to the attention of the
world in what is known as the
Boston Massacre, which occurred on
KINGS street in Boston, Mass. Mar.
5, ITO. Captain Preston. with the
kings soldiers, appeared on Kings
street TO enforce a decree f the
British Parliament. The apeear-
ance cf the soldiers i~nfuriated the
citizens and a mob. led by Gripus
httueks. , runaway Negro slave,
was fired upon by the soldiers. At
tGcks was the first one killed; thus
he. ? Negro, being the first mar
tyr for American Independence. A
monument was erected in Boston
in memory of the patriots who fell
with the following epitaph COM
GENERATING the first martyrs for
American independence:
Long as in freedoms cause
the wise contend,
Dear to your country shall your
fame extend
While to the world the lettered
stone shall tell
Where Caldwell, Attacks, Gray
and Maverick fell"
At Bunker Hill, we see Peter
Salem, and ex-slave, fighting side
by side with white soldiers, and
when Major Pitcairn mounted the
redoubt and shouted. "The day is
ours" the gallant Salem poured the
contents of his gun into the Majors
body. Salem was presented to
George Washington as having been
the hero who performed that feat.
At the storming of Fort Griswold,
Major Montgomery was lifted upon
the walls f the fort by his men,
and called upon the Americans to
surrender; the answer was given
by John Freeman. a Negro soldier,
who pinned the Major dead to the
earth. b.
James Freeman. a Negro Bridge
water. participated in the erection
Of the Notifications on Dorchester
Heights. under the command of
General Washington which the
next morning 50 surprised lie
British.
Thus we get q few glimpses Of
the heroic efforts of Negroes in
those early days of white American
oppression, helping to get Ameri-
can independence. The Negro work
ed so hard and fought SO valiantly
THAT it attracted the attention Of
the British 70 such an extent that
Lord Dunsmore issued a proclama-
stating that since the c~olonists We're
50 eager to abolish a fanciful slav-
cry in a dependence on Great Bri-
tain. he would try to see how they
liked the abolition of real slavery
by setting free all Of their Negroes.
L must not be forgotten that Ne
gro slavery fourished in the col
onies at that time. and this threat
meant to the colonists from their
v2vr oint a dire calamity.
Lord Dunsmore, who was in Vir-
ginia, promised freedom to all the
slaves would come on his side; this
invitation was accepted to such an
extent that the colonists tried their
best to stop the alarming d%esertion
of the Negroes. they detached a
strong force to check Dunsmore in
his course, but the Americans were
checked at "reat Bridge" the brid-
ge over the Elizabeth river, was
made impossible; some of the works
were defended by Negroes; thus
showing that the oppressed will
turn against the oppressor if CIV
en- a good opportunity.
The next heroic efforts of Ne
groes in fighting for this country
was at Lake Erie in the War of
1912. The cause of this war was