Trazee In-Depth: Forgotten Historical Figures

The American Revolution boasts countless stories of incredible heroism, patriotism and bravery. Paul Revere, famous for his midnight ride to Lexington, Mass., warning John Hancock and John Adams the British were coming, was not the only rider that night. In fact, many were dispatched to alert the countryside of the British army’s approach alongside Revere and after.

Sybil Ludington, a 16-year old female living on a farm in Conneticut, was the oldest of 12 and daughter of American rebel Henry Ludington. Sybil’s father was colonel of his regiment and, while preparing for battle, asked her to pick up where the last rider left off. Sybil rode long into the night, rousing troops for the impending British attack. Sybil covered more than 40 miles that night, nearly four times more than Paul Revere’s ride.

In 1860, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote the famous poem “Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride,” establishing Paul Revere as the lone midnight rider in the American Revolution.

During the Revolutionary War, slaves would often be drafted into battle in their owner’s place. James Armistead Lafayette, from New Kent County, Va., volunteered to fight in his master’s place for the patriot cause. Lafayette was enlisted and assigned to spy on General Benedict Arnold, a recent defector at the time.

Arnold entrusted Lafayette to lead British troops through the countryside before leaving for the north. Lafayette went on to serve General Cornwallis, while keeping diligent notes to relay back to the American rebels.

Lafayette’s reports were considered invaluable in the defeat of the British army during the Battle of Yorktown. Lafayette was the first African American double agent and was eventually granted his freedom in 1787.

Another rebel cause, the American Civil Rights movement, displays a long history of courage and resilience. Famously kicking off the civil rights movement with non-violent protests was Rosa Parks, by refusing to give up her seat on the bus to a white man. Parks was arrested and removed from the bus, but she wasn’t the only brave woman to fight the power.

In 1854, 100 years earlier, Elizabeth Jennings Graham, an African American teacher in New York City, was physically removed from a streetcar by police officers. At the time, most streetcar companies were privately owned, segregated and not operative for African American passengers. Graham challenged the ejection in court and won, leading to the eventual desegregation of New York City public transportation services in 1865.

Graham’s historical achievements came a century before Parks, but in a much more progressive state. Just two months before Rosa Parks’ bus ride, Mary Louise Smith, an 18-year old African American female, refused to give up her seat to a white man on a bus in Montgomery, Ala., and was arrested. Nine months before Smith, 15-year old Claudette Colvin was arrested for exactly the same crime in the same city.

In more recent history, Frank Wills stumbled upon one of the most famous government scandals in American history: Watergate. Wills, a security guard at the Watergate office building, noticed a large piece of tape over an office doorknob, preventing the latch from completely closing. Wills removed the tape and continued his rounds. Noticing the tape had been replaced 30 minutes later, Wills called the police. Five men were found in the Democratic National Headquarters office and arrested soon after.

Will’s actions sparked the entire Watergate scandal investigation, eventually leading to President Richard Nixon’s resignation in 1974. Wills went on to play himself in the film All the President’s Men in 1975. Enjoying a brief period of recognition, Wills eventually left his position at Watergate.