Join historian and author Claire Bellerjeau as she shares her exciting new discoveries about Cato, an enslaved Black man who aided the Patriot spy and tailor Hercules Mulligan during the Revolutionary War. Cato’s story, once mere legend, comes to life with details of an assassination plot against Washington, enslavement in the powerful Schuyler family, Cato’s religious life at St. Paul’s Chapel, and the intersection of colonial chocolate making and slavery. Showing great bravery, agency, skill, and faith, Cato represents other unknown and often “invisible” people of color who helped shape the course of the Revolution—and the history of the United States.
This program is presented pursuant to a grant from PBS WETA in support of Library Programming related to the AMERICAN REVOLUTION documentary.
