First Martyr of Liberty

This engaging book will be of particular interest to scholars of African American history, memory, and popular culture; indeed, anyone who discusses Attucks in their scholarship or teaching will want to consult this book, to make sure that they are not recycling hoary errors, which continue to be propagated over the Internet as never before. * Jonathan D. Sassi, Journal of American History * Kachun's book offers much more than a biographical sketch of Crispus Attucks. His inclusion of both professional history and popular culture provides a variety of perspectives. Ultimately, his exploration of how Americans of various skin colors and political ideologies have used Attucks for their own purposes says a great deal about Americans and the nation they are still in the process of creating. * Beverly C. Tomek, American Historical Review * What does it mean to write the biography of a person who left so few traces in the historical record, but about whom so much has been written and for whom so much has been claimed? Through painstaking research, sustained analysis, and artful prose, Mitch Kachun provides a compelling answer to that question...This is a balanced and judicious assessment....In all his manifestations, as Kachun demonstrates so well, Crispus Attucks illustrates the never-ending contest for meaning that shapes our historical consciousness. * Eric Hinderaker, New England Quarterly * An important contribution to both Black intellectual history and the scholarship on American memory. Drawing on an impressive array of sources...Kachun convincingly demonstrates the significance Attucks wielded in African American culture and politics since the antebellum period. This elegantly written and tightly argued study should be of interest to all students and scholars of African American history and American collective memory. * Christopher Cameron, The Black Scholar * Kachun has done a masterful job in finding and assembling the evidence for this book...Kachun shows us how one man became a symbol of bravery and selflessness to a community continually under siege by the wider society, and in so doing, he has made a valuable contribution to the field of historical memory. * Judith L. Van Buskirk, William and Mary Quarterly * In his examination of the identity and memory of Crispus Attucks, Mitch Kachun mines and weighs available evidence to demonstrate the ways the story of the Attucks of the Revolution became important during the nineteenth century fight against slavery and illuminated black identity and manhood in the turbulent mid-twentieth century. With exemplary research and analysis, Kachun provides a model for the historian's craft, explores the creation and role of myth in history, and provides a valuable addition to work on history and memory. * Lois E. Horton, author of Harriet Tubman and the Fight for Freedom * Hero or dockside rowdy, freedom fighter or not-quite-so-innocent bystander, Crispus Attucks is a mysterious figure whose role in this nation's 'creation story' we continue to debate. In this beautifully written and wide-ranging study, Mitch Kachun uncovers as much about changing perceptions of America over the two and a half centuries since the Boston Massacre as he does about Attucks himself. First Martyr of Liberty is a superb contribution to the scholarship on history and memory-and a compelling read from start to finish. * Julie Winch, author of A Gentleman of Color: The Life of James Forten * 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 * [A] great read for a grounded biography of the man... and a thorough examination of intention in American history. * Netisha Currie, Federal History * 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 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 *