On April 19, 2002, commemorations across the United States honored the role of African American soldiers in the American War of Independence, especially those who stood at Lexington in 1775. The colonial militias that engaged British forces on that day formed the first integrated military units in American history. Among them were African American minutemen like Prince Estabrook, who fought side by side with white colonists during the opening battle of the Revolutionary War. These early acts of unity challenged the racial norms of the time and underscored the Black contribution to American independence from the very beginning.
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