MassachusettsHISTORY EXPLORERS GRADES 3–8
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Quick glossary
evidence
Information from a source that helps us test a claim.
source
A document, object, image, or account we can examine.
inference
An explanation based on clues; it still needs checking.
migration
Moving from one place to another to live.
immigrant
A person who moves to another country to live.
estimate
An approximate amount, based on available information.
oral history
A recorded interview about someone’s memories and experiences.
community
People connected by a place, relationships, or shared activities.
ancestry
Family origins across generations.
primary source
Evidence created by someone who experienced a time or event.

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Black people & the Revolution

What did freedom mean to different people during the Revolution?

Start here · grades 3–5
Paul Revere’s 1770 Boston Massacre print. It presents a viewpoint, not a photograph of the event.
Paul Revere’s 1770 Boston Massacre print. It presents a viewpoint, not a photograph of the event.

People made different choices

Black people served in Patriot forces, sought freedom with the British, or tried to protect their families outside the armies. Their choices depended on danger, opportunity, and their legal status. Independence did not end slavery throughout the United States.

Salem Poor

Poor bought his freedom in 1769. At Bunker Hill in 1775, his service impressed officers who signed a petition praising him. That document is evidence of his actions. Meet Salem Poor

Peter Salem

Born enslaved in Framingham, Salem became a soldier and served at Lexington and Concord and Bunker Hill. Later stories credit him with a famous battlefield shot, but historians question whether the evidence proves who fired it.

Prince Estabrook

Estabrook was enslaved when he served with Lexington’s militia. He was wounded on April 19, 1775. His story asks us to think about a person fighting in a war for liberty while not yet legally free.

Primus Hall

Hall joined the army in 1776. His life also included skilled work, family, and support for education in Boston. A biography continues beyond a battlefield.

Evidence check

Which source most directly shows what officers said about Salem Poor in 1775?

Sources, grown-up reading & teaching notes

These are original reading companions. Follow the sources to check a claim. External pages and recordings keep their own languages.

Explore the six lessons →Image credits & sources →
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