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Table of Contents
Richard Pierpoint was a British soldier who descended from Senegal. He was brought to America as a slave but was granted freedom to fight on the side of the British in the American Revolution. Pierpoint was also called Black Dick, Captain Dick, Captain Pierpoint, Pawpine, and Parepoint.
See the fact file below for more information on the Richard Pierpoint or alternatively, you can download our 20-page Richard Pierpoint worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.
Key Facts & Information
EARLY LIFE
- Richard Pierpoint was born around 1744 in Bondu (now Senegal), in West Africa.
- His original name is unspecified.
- When he was about 16 years old he was captured and sold as a slave.
- Pierpoint endured the crossing of the Atlantic and was sold to a British officer named Pierpoint, presumably in one of the northern British colonies. He would have worked as his personal servant.
- Pierpoint was enslaved for almost twenty years and was likely given the name of the officer who enslaved him.
AMERICAN REVOLUTION AND FREEDOM
- It was unclear how exactly Richard Pierpoint retrieved his freedom but it appears that the American Revolution was the cause for change.
- In 1776, with the explosion of the American Revolution, numerous African American slaves were granted freedom on the condition that they fought on the side of the British.
- In 1780, Pierpoint was listed as one of the pioneers in Butlerβs Rangers, a Loyalist unit.
- Some members of the unit were previously black slaves, who were enlisted only as non-combatant laborers or sappers. The total number of black soldiers in Butler’s Rangers is unknown.
THE PIERPOINT SETTLEMENT
- That same year, following the British defeat, the Rangers settled in the Niagara area where they engaged in guerrilla warfare against American rebels.
- Throughout the war, Pierpoint was probably stationed at Fort Niagara.
- Pierpoint was still in the Niagara area in 1784.
- Having been honorably released, he was included on a list of settlers in the area, along with the other disbanded Rangers.
- In 1791, Pierpoint was granted 200 acres β the same grant awarded to officers and twice that of a private β in Grantham Township (present-day St. Catharines).
βPETITION OF FREE NEGROESβ AND LIFE IN UPPER CANADA
- As Pierpoint received his 200-acre grant in Grantham Township, he still had to clear and develop the area to receive letters patent and be officially identified as the owner.
- In 1794 Pierpont signed the “Petition of Free Negroes” to Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe requesting that freed Blacks who had served as soldiers could settle adjacent to each other so they could build a community and work collectively to clear their lands.
- The petitioners asked for the opportunity to βgive assistance (in work) to those amongst them who may most want itβ.
- The Executive Council of Upper Canada Government read the Petition on July 8, 1794, and rejected the request.
- Then over 60 years old, Pierpoint consequently abandoned or sold his grant and supported himself as a labourer or farmer.
WAR OF 1812
- Following the outbreak of the War of 1812, Pierpoint, at the age of 68, proposed to organize an all-Black militia to fight for the British but his offer was refused.
- Shortly thereafter, Pierpoint joined Captain Robert Runcheyβs Corps of Coloured Men (the Coloured Corps), raised locally by a white officer, Jordan tavern-owner Robert Runchey.
- The Coloured Corps fought with distinction at the Battle of Queenston Heights, the siege of Fort George, and the Battle of Lundy’s Lane including other engagements.
- The corps was also helpful in the formation of Fort Mississauga.
- For the remainder of the war, the corps worked for labour and garrison duty.
LATER LIFE
- In 1815, Pierpoint’s unit was honorably disbanded and he was entitled a 100-acre grant of old-growth forest, being a veteran.
- In his late 70s, in 1821 Pierpoint petitioned the government of Upper Canada for passage back to his homeland in Senegal instead of the land grant.
- His request was denied and instead, Pierpoint and the other Coloured Corps veterans were given land grants in Garafraxa, just outside present-day Fergus.
- On July 30, 1822, A “land ticket” was issued to him. Pierpoint would only get complete ownership of the plot after he had cleared at least 5 acres (20,000 m2) of trees, cleared a road to the plot, and built a house. He fulfilled the settlement conditions for his grant in 1825.
DEATH AND LEGACY
- Richard Pierpoint died sometime before September 1838. He left no family or heirs and left his will to Lemuel Brown of Grantham Township. It is not known where his burial place is.
- Pierpoint was a talented storyteller in the West African tradition of the griot. He traveled across Upper Canada, recounting stories to members of the Black communities in both the Niagara and Garafraxa regions. At the end of his life, he had accumulated 94 years of personal experience and countless more through the voices of his community.
- Being a leader in the early Black Canadian community, his legacy is of a man who fought and petitioned for causes important to him, his community, and to Canada as a whole. His petitions present a picture of a man taken from his home and enslaved as a teenager, who fought for his freedom in two wars and who worked to establish a Black community amidst prejudice and discrimination.
- In 2013, the Government of Canada named a federal building in London, Ontario the Richard Pierpoint Building in honor of his contribution to the Coloured Corps in the War of 1812.
Richard Pierpoint Worksheets
This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about Richard Pierpoint across 20 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Richard Pierpoint worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Richard Pierpoint who was a British soldier who descended from Senegal. He was brought to America as a slave but was granted freedom to fight on the side of the British in the American Revolution. Pierpoint was also called Black Dick, Captain Dick, Captain Pierpoint, Pawpine, and Parepoint.
Complete List Of Included Worksheets
- Richard Pierpoint Facts
- Pierpoint Summary
- Fast Facts
- Slavery
- Story of His Freedom
- Militia Groups
- Heroic Timeline
- Legacy
- Visited Places
- My Petition
- Pierpoint Poster
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Link will appear as Richard Pierpoint Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, December 3, 2020
Use With Any Curriculum
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