RHODE ISLAND NEWSPAPER REPORTS ON THE BOSTON MASSACRE AND CRISPUS ATTUCKS
THE BLACK PATRIOT KILLED IN BOSTON BY BRITISH SOLDIERS Fine colonial-era newspaper, "Supplement to the Newport [Rhode Island] Mercury", 2pp. 8 1/2" x 14 1/4", published March 22, 1773. The supplement features several interesting articles, most notably a report on a memorial service held in memory of the Boston Massacre of March 5, 1770. The memorial, presided over by none other than John Hancock, included the display of a monument inscribed with the names of those killed in the massacre, including CRISPUS ATTUCKS (c.1723-1770). Although little is known of Attucks' life, he is thought to have been a freeman of African and Wampanoag descent. He is celebrated as being the first casualty of the American Revolution, and became an icon for 19th-century abolitionists as an African-American who played a heroic role in American history. Ironically, the second page of the supplement includes an advertisement seeking slaves for sale. The paper is ragged at the edges, with some chipping and small tears, else very good.