George Middleton (1735-1815) was many things. He tended horses, he was a fighter for equality, and he was the commander of the Bucks of America. His home at 5-7 Pinckney Street, which is now a private residence, is the oldest extant home on Beacon Hill being built in 1787. One thing Middleton was proud of was his activism in gaining African Americans equality.  In 1796, Middleton helped form the African Society (Boston African Benevolent Society) and as early as 1800 he fought for equality for African American schoolchildren.

Little is known about the Bucks of America, Middleton is actually the only known member. The group was an all-black militia company during the Revolutionary War. It is believed the group guarded the property of Boston merchants and they potentially were also known as the “Protectors.” Even though there is no official military record mentioning the group, it is known that John Hancock presented the company a flag towards the end of the Revolutionary War. This silk flag had a deer, pine tree, and scroll with the name of the company. It is also believed their name came from the tradition of the British calling the Colonial Americans “Bucks” because of their deerskin clothing.

An all-black company during the Revolutionary War was uncommon because the majority of the African Americans were still enslaved. The British encouraged indentured servants and slaves to abandon their masters and join the fight against the rebels. The British promised these people their freedom. Many slaves did abandon their master (potentially 100,000) and some even attempted to murder their masters. One group calling themselves The King of England Soldiers continued to cause havoc for the United States for nearly fifty years after the end of the Revolutionary War. After some time, General Washington saw the benefit of allowing African Americans to enlist into the Continental Army. Typically, only freemen were allowed to enlist, but Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and New Jersey began enlisting slaves in order to fulfill enlistment requirements. Throughout the Revolutionary War, it is estimated that 5,000 African Americans served in the Continental Army. 

By: Jessica McKenzie

Credits and Sources:

Horton, James Oliver and Lois Horton. Black Bostonians: Family Life and Community Struggle in the Antebellum North. New York, NY: Holmes & Meier Publishers, Inc., 1979.

Horton, James Oliver and Lois E. Horton. Slavery and the Making of America.Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005.

Massachusetts Historical Society. “Bucks of America Flag.” Massachusetts Historical Society. Accessed September 12, 2016. http://www.masshist.org/database/viewer.php?item_id=788

Massachusetts Historical Society. “Revolutionary Participation.” Massachusetts Historical Society. Accessed September 12, 2016. http://www.masshist.org/endofslavery/index.php?id=56

Museum of African American History. “Site 2, George Middleton House, 5-7 Pinckney Street. ”Museum of African American History. Accessed September 12, 2016. http://maah.org/site2.htm

National Park Service. “George Middleton House.” National Park Service, U. S. Department of the Interior. Accessed September 12, 2016. https://www.nps.gov/boaf/learn/historyculture/george-middleton-house.htm