George Middleton (1735 – April 6, 1815) was an
African-American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
Revolutionary War veteran, a
Prince Hall Freemason
Prince Hall Freemasonry is a branch of North American Freemasonry for African Americans founded by Prince Hall on September 29, 1784. There are two main branches of Prince Hall Freemasonry: the independent State Prince Hall Grand Lodges, most of ...
, and a community civil rights campaigner in
.
War service
Middleton was one of 5,000 African Americans to serve in the military on the
Patriot
A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism.
Patriot may also refer to:
Political and military groups United States
* Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American Revolution
* Patriot m ...
side of the Revolutionary War, although scant evidence survives about his military service. Colonel Middleton served as commander of the
Bucks of America
The Bucks of America was a Patriot Massachusetts Militia company, during the American Revolutionary War, that was composed of African-American soldiers. Few records survive about the unit; most of its history is constructed from eyewitness acc ...
, a Boston-based unit of the
Massachusetts militia
This is a list of militia units of the Colony and later Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
*Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts (1638)
*Cogswell's Regiment of Militia (April 19, 1775)
*Woodbridge's Regiment of Militia (April 20, ...
. Few details have survived about the Bucks, one of only two all-black Patriot units in the war. After the war, Governor
John Hancock
John Hancock ( – October 8, 1793) was an American Founding Father, merchant, statesman, and prominent Patriot of the American Revolution. He served as president of the Second Continental Congress and was the first and third Governor of the ...
honored Colonel Middleton and his company by presenting him with a flag to commemorate their service. The flag still exists and is owned by the
Massachusetts Historical Society
The Massachusetts Historical Society is a major historical archive specializing in early American, Massachusetts, and New England history. The Massachusetts Historical Society was established in 1791 and is located at 1154 Boylston Street in Bost ...
.
Post-war
After the American Revolution, African Americans began to form their own small community in a town called the North Slope of
Beacon Hill in
Boston, Massachusetts - Middleton being one of the first. Middleton bought land on Pinckney Street and with a friend built a home.
Middleton was a
violin
The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...
ist, a
horse breaker
Horse training refers to a variety of practices that teach horses to perform certain behaviors when commanded to do so by humans. Horses are trained to be manageable by humans for everyday care as well as for equestrian activities from horse r ...
, and
coachman
A coachman is an employee who drives a coach or carriage, a horse-drawn vehicle designed for the conveyance of passengers. A coachman has also been called a coachee, coachy, whip, or hackman.
The coachman's first concern is to remain in full c ...
. He gained considerable recognition for his accomplishments and was a constant advocate for the rights of African Americans.
To that end he organized the
African Benevolent Society
African or Africans may refer to:
* Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa:
** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa
*** Ethn ...
in 1796, an organization that provided financial relief and job placement for members - primarily widows and orphans. In 1808 he published an anti-slavery statement along with his Masonic brother
Prince Hall
Prince Hall (1807) was an American abolitionist and leader in the free black community in Boston. He founded Prince Hall Freemasonry and lobbied for education rights for African American children. He was also active in the back-to-Africa moveme ...
stating, "Freedom is desirable, if not, would men sacrifice their time, their property and finally their lives in the pursuit of this?" With this powerful statement parallels between American Revolution and the desires for black Americans grew.
Middleton was recognized for his activism and prominence in the community,
and was appointed Grand Master of the African Masonic Lodge in 1809. He had married in 1781, but apparently left no children when he died in 1815.
Middleton's former home at 5 Pinckney Street is on the Boston
Black Heritage Trail
The Boston African American National Historic Site, in the heart of Boston, Massachusetts's Beacon Hill neighborhood, interprets 15 pre-Civil War structures relating to the history of Boston's 19th-century African-American community, connected ...
.
References
*
"Revolutionary Participation" from the Massachusetts Historical Society
* Gregory S. Kearse, “The Bucks of America & Prince Hall Freemasonry” Prince Hall Masonic Digest Newspaper, (Washington, D.C. 2012), 8.
"Colonel George Middleton" from the West End Museum
External links
Bucks of America flagBucks of American medallion
* http://www.afroammuseum.org/site2.htm
{{DEFAULTSORT:Middleton, George
1735 births
1815 deaths
African Americans in the American Revolution
American Prince Hall Freemasons
Activists for African-American civil rights
People from Beacon Hill, Boston
Massachusetts militiamen in the American Revolution