Middle School
Worksheets
Prince Whipple
Can you imagine being a prince sent from your homeland to attend school in a foreign land, only to find yourself sold into slavery? That was the experience of Prince Whipple. In spite of that, he made his mark during the Revolutionary War.
Prince was born into a wealthy African family. His parents wanted him to have a good education. They sent him on a ship to America. The man that promised to take him there lied to his parents. When they arrived in Baltimore, the man sold Prince as a slave. Brigadier General William Whipple was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and the man who bought Prince. When Whipple was getting ready to meet with the American forces in Saratoga, he planned to take Prince with him as his servant. Prince wasn't happy. When Whipple asked him why, Prince replied that his master was fighting for his own freedom, but Prince had no way to fight for his. General Whipple promised to one day free him. (Prince received his freedom in 1784.)
Prince served faithfully in the New Hampshire militia and at the battle of Saratoga. Prince was part of the Petition of Twenty Slaves of Portsmouth to the General Assembly in 1779. In this document twenty slaves clearly stated why they should be free.
