Hunger for liberty: Kittery marks independence with readings by a general and a slave

For just about an hour on Saturday morning, two of the Seacoast’s most iconic historical figures were brought back to life in Kittery, Maine.

Gen. William Whipple, who was born and raised in Kittery, has the distinction of being the only native Mainer to sign the Declaration of Independence in 1776. In what has become an annual tradition, the General – portrayed this year by historical reenactor James Roberts of York, Maine − returned to his hometown to kick off the area’s Independence Day celebrations with an inspired public reading of the Declaration.

This year, for the first time, the event also included the enslaved man who served at his side for many pivotal moments in our local and national history. Three years after the Declaration was signed, Prince Whipple joined with 19 other Portsmouth slaves to sign a Petition for Freedom delivered to the New Hampshire legislature. While the state’s lawmakers never acted on this request, the passion and poetry of this remarkable document survives.

Prince Whipple reads Petition for Freedom

On Saturday, Prince – portrayed by Portsmouth actor Kevin Wade Mitchell − gave a public reading of this petition as well. Including both recitations in the event provided those in attendance a unique reflection of the hunger for liberty shared by the wealthy white Founding Father and his enslaved manservant. The General ultimately granted Prince his freedom in 1784, and passed away the following year.

William was a merchant sea captain before retiring to settle in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where he was later appointed as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress and a brigadier general in the state’s militia. Prince accompanied the General to Philadelphia during the 1776 signing of the Declaration of Independence, and during military campaigns including the historic victory at the Battle of Saratoga.

In another continuing tradition of Kittery’s yearly event, the amazing youngsters of the Piscataqua Rangers Junior Fife & Drum Corps performed the national anthem prior to the readings, and Capt. Henry Dearborn’s Company of Revolution-era militia historians fired a musket-and-cannon salute afterward. Town Manager Kendra Amaral read a proclamation from Maine Gov. Janet Mills honoring Gen. Whipple, and the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard’s Color Guard also took part in the ceremony at USS Thresher Memorial Park, adjacent to Kittery’s Town Hall.

Afterward, those in attendance were invited to an open house at the neighboring Kittery Historical & Naval Museum. Demonstrating the strong ties between the town and the Navy yard, most of the funding for this year’s event was donated by the Shipyard’s Naval Civilian Managers Association, as well as from local residents such as Desiree Barris of Hoppi’s Barbershop.

And next year, we’re planning to do it all again.

D. Allan Kerr is the organizer of the Kittery’s annual Independence Day celebration.