Crispus Attucks (circa 1723 - March 5, 1770), a person of colour, was one of five people killed in the Boston Massacre. He has been frequently named as the first martyr for the cause of American Independence and is the only person killed in the event whose name is commonly remembered. Described as mulatto in contemporary accounts, Attucks was multiracial and possessed African ancestry mixed with Native American and/or white ancestry. In the early 1800s, as the Abolitionist movement gained momentum in Boston, Attucks was lauded as an example of a black person who played a heroic role in the history of the United States. In 1858, Boston-area Abolitionists established "Crispus Attucks Day." In 1888, a monument honouring him was erected on Boston Common. Since slavery and segregation were conditions of life in the 1700s, few stories of black American heroes from that era survive to the present. Therefore, though little is known about Crispus Attucks’ personal life or motives, he remains an important and inspirational figure in African American history. As Crispus Attucks may have possessed Wampanoag Indian ancestry as well, his story also holds special significance for many Native Americans. Controversy remains over whether Attucks was a revolutionary leader or simply a rabble rouser; it is possible he was both.