|Born in Struggle, 1819-1860:| Rising Black Bourgeosie
Revolutionary War, some Black veterans were able to join the
ruling class. An example is Lemuel Haynes. He was a freeman born
in 1753 in what was to become West Hartford, but ended up in
Massachusets as a servant. When the War began, he enlisted as
Minuteman in 1774 and fought at Lexington, the siege of Boston,
and went on the Ticonderoga expedition in New York. This
military experience left him with ambitions. He studied theology
under a clergyman in Canaan, Connecticut, and was eventually
ordained in Litchfield in November, 1785. He went on to become a
minister in Torrington and then in Rutland, Vermont, where he
preached more than thirty years. He was a preacher much sought
after in New England, and his color made no difference. This was
because the old attitudes still prevailed, for despite humble
beginnings, he had become a professional and hence a respected
member of the ruling class. It would not be long, though, before
one's personal qualities cou