You may have heard of John Laurens, a brave and fierce fighter for our nation, but maybe you haven’t. Many people haven’t, and many people had never heard the name John Laurens before Hamilton the Musical. He is very under-appreciated for his hard work for our nation, especially the way he died on the soil for our nation fighting against the tyranny of slavery and British rule. Here are three main reasons why he is under-appreciated.
Reason 01: He deserves to be known for more than just Alexander Hamilton’s closest friend. He was more, a statesman, a fighter, writer, an advocate. People need to know of his actions.
Reason 02: Despite having a wealthy father who owned many slaves, he fought tirelessly to end the horrible treatment they got, yet he never got to live to the his hard work pay off or even to see his nation be freed.
Reason 03: He formed the first Black battalion during the war, gathering many former slaves and giving them the shot to fight for their freedom and for what they believe in. He had a dream to have them all be free and equal, and yet when he was tragically killed in battle, the slaves were returned to their owners and his dream died with him.