Reviews for Crispus Attucks: Black Leader of Colonial Patriots

The average rating for Crispus Attucks: Black Leader of Colonial Patriots based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2019-06-29 00:00:00 Krista Vitale I read this to my elementary-age children. There were parts that made me cringe "treated his slaves well," "one of the family," etc. We had good discussions. I edited some of the phrasing on the fly, changing "slaves" to "person who was enslaved" or to "man," "woman," or "person." I'm not sure why a person or group of people needed to be called "slaves" over and over in one paragraph. We are aware they are enslaved, so lets just call them by name or another part of their humanity after that. I want to go through the book and edit it myself in case I accidentally just hand it to one of my children to read one day. All that said, the story is so good and needs to be told in this way. It was great to hear about the passion of Crispus Attucks and that he wasn't just in the wrong place at the wrong time--he was an important voice for freedom. This book will stay on my shelves to be read again when we study this time period next.

Review # 2 was written on 2021-02-25 00:00:00 Tom Ben This 192 page book in large print is written to present a fuller story on Crispus Attucks for a upper elementary school child or as a family read. If you are not familiar with the Childhood of Famous Americans series, you should keep your eye out for these. Many are out of print, but they are worth using to give your children and yourself a clearer idea of the featured person and life in that time period. The series strives to make these individuals relative to a young reader without dumbing down the person's life. Crispus is introduced as a young boy about to get baptized not because he is inquiring into his faith, but because his owner is insisting. This seems to be the point at which Crispus learns that he and his family are "owned" and slaves. He struggles with the idea as he has lived a very comfortable life with little turmoil as his father and mother are trusted servants. Crispus has always had a dream of what he wants to do when he grows up, to be a free man working on a boat . When the time comes for Crispus to be apprenticed, he is not consulted and does not wish to drive the carriage, which is the job assigned. He does not do well with the assignment as his heart is not in it and he plans to run away. The story is well told and full of adventure. A great addition to Early American history as Crispus' life ends as he stands for freedom at what becomes known as the Boston Massacre. The incident is a short view of the incident, not with gory detail. Very good background on the different status of slaves versus indentured servants and the different levels of privilege within the slave community at the plantation. One I think a young person can easily relate.