Dr. Robert A. Bellinger, history professor emeritus, Suffolk University. Founder of Righting Histories, he is a public historian who works on African American history projects in Lexington, Concord, and other Massachusetts communities, and in Charleston, South Carolina.

Prince Estabrook: From Lexington Green to the Hudson River Valley

March 28, 2025

Robert A. Bellinger

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Early on the morning of April 19, 1775, approximately 70 men, all residents of Lexington, Massachusetts, gathered on the Town Green in response to the news that the British Regulars were approaching the town on their way to Concord to search for stores of ammunition. The Lexington men were members of the local militia responsible for protecting their community. Among those Lexingtonians was Prince Estabrook, a man of African descent who was enslaved by Benjamin Estabrook, another Lexingtonian. Whether or not Prince, or any of the other men, were aware of how the events of the morning would play out, it is certain that he did not envision that he was laying the foundation for a new nation. Even so, Prince embodied the events and issues of the day in a way that was distinct from the other men who gathered on the Green that April morning.

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Robert A. Bellinger

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Prince Estabrook: From Lexington Green to the Hudson River Valley