Sandwiched In with Claire Bellerjeau - Cato in the Revolution: Spies, Slavery, Church, and Chocolate

Program Type:

Lecture

Age Group:

Adults
  • Registration is required for this event.
  • Registration will open on January 2, 2026 @ 9:00am.

Event Details

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 George 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 part of the Library’s celebration of Black History Month.

(Sponsored by the Friends of the Library)