Struggle & Resistance Achievement & Excellence

January 1775

Prince Hall and 14 other free Black men in Boston are initiated into African Lodge No. 441 by a British military lodge attached to an Irish regiment stationed in Boston in 1775. After American Masonic lodges refuse them a charter, Hall obtains one directly from England's Grand Lodge in 1784, founding Prince Hall Freemasonry — the first Black civic organization in the United States.

Events

1775
Prince Hall Initiates Black Freemasonry Through British Military Lodge
Prince Hall and 14 other free Black men in Boston are initiated into African Lodge No. 441 by a British military lodge attached to an Irish regiment stationed in Boston in 1775. After American Masonic lodges refuse them a charter, Hall obtains one directly from England's Grand Lodge in 1784, founding Prince Hall Freemasonry — the first Black civic organization in the United States.
January 1775
Lord Dunmore's Ethiopian Regiment Formed
Virginia's Royal Governor Lord Dunmore issued a proclamation offering freedom to enslaved men who escaped Patriot owners and joined British forces, leading to the formation of the Ethiopian Regiment of hundreds of Black soldiers. As many as 800 men joined and bore the motto 'Liberty to Slaves' on their uniforms, representing one of the largest freedom-seeking military actions in early American history.