One of the most famous sites of the American Revolution is Breeds Hill, better known as Bunker Hill, the site of the first major battle of the Revolution. The Battle of Bunker Hill took place on June 17, 1775. Although America lost the battle, her soldiers showed the British they would risk life and limb to defend their vision of America.

The Battle of Bunker Hill is unique because it remains one of the first battles in American military history, and one where African-Americans fought for a country of which they sorely wanted to participate. As the American forces retreated in the battle, a slave named Salem Poor killed the British officer leading the charge, giving America its first African-American war hero.

Currently, a monument rests on the hill honoring the men who fought in the Battle of Bunker Hill. Daniel Webster, a famous senator and member of the board that designed the 220-foot tall monument, dedicated the memorial on the fiftieth anniversary of the battle. He claimed the veterans of the Revolution fought and died for the equal rights of Americans and challenged the descendents of these men to take that liberty and improve it.

Few people realize that the site has been important at other critical times in our nation's history. The building of the monument itself has a strong connection to early American civil rights issues. Much of the funding for the monument came from Sarah Josepha Hale, an early proponent of women's rights who saw the Revolution as an opportunity for the advancement of women.

Bunker Hill is not just the site of a prominent battle in American history; it is where the fight for civil liberties and civil rights began. The giant obelisk that now rests on the hill serves as a symbol of those freedoms that brave men and women fought so hard to defend.