America's Black Founders: Revolutionary Heroes & Early Leaders with 21 Activities

America's Black Founders: Revolutionary Heroes & Early Leaders with 21 Activities — page 5
n 1760 Richard Allen was born Not noticed by the world far away from the royal palace in Eng land not even affected by the talk of freedom and liberty in colonial America the news reached the ears of his mother's master in Philadelphia Pennsyl vania another slave had been born Richard's mother held him close hoping against hope to shield her innocent baby from the harsh real ities of slavery that peculiar institution which sup plied the rich treasures for the king and gave the colonists leisure to pursue their liberties in the New World Yet slavery held no freedom or liberties for the slave As Richard's mother rocked her newborn baby to sleep what thoughts crossed her mind She knew too well of the slave's auction block where babies were torn from their mother's arms and sold away to a different owner never to be seen again Her own father a white colonist had sold her and her mother as if they were cattle As she counted her baby's 10 little fingers and 10 little toes Richard's mother could not count on his future It would have warmed her mother's heart however to know that one day her son would return to Philadelphia the city of his birth to become the greatest and most influential leader of free blacks in the newly formed United States of America He would use his freedom to fight for the liberty and jus