On a cold day in early March 1770, a shot fired by a British soldier triggered the start of the American Revolution. Crispus Attucks, a former African slave, was killed by that shot, becoming the first person to die for the liberty we take for granted today. Attucks was one of more than 5,000 African Americans who fought during the American Revolution.

To honor the Black Patriots of the Revolution who served, fought and died for independence, the U.S. Congress authorized the Black Patriots Foundation to build a national memorial. The site, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., is where another Black patriot, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., gave his "I have a dream" speech in 1963. It is adjacent to other great national monuments: the Vietnam Veterans and Lincoln Memorials.

To help fund the construction of the monument, the U.S. Mint (through an act of Congress) is striking 500,000 silver dollars to honor Black Patriots. The Crispus Attucks Commemorative Silver Dollar went on sale in February of this year, the 275th anniversary of Attucks birth.

A limited edition Young Collectors Coin Set features an uncirculated silver dollar with entertaining and educational information on Crispus Attucks and the Revolutionary War. Also being offered is a Black Patriots Coin and Stamp set which features a proof silver dollar and four U.S. postage stamps which spotlight other notable African Americans: Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Benjamin Banneker and Salem Poor.

Philip N. Diehl, director of the U.S. Mint, in announcing what may be one of only two commemorative coins to be produced by the Mint in 1998 said, "The Black Revolutionary War Patriots Silver Dollar will recall and commemorate history by focusing on Crispus Attucks' sacrifice as a symbol of the commitment of all Black American patriots."

A representation of Crispus Attucks will appear on the obverse side of the coin. On the reverse, a Black Patriot family is featured. The reverse side was designed by Ed Dwight, who is also the sculptor of the monument. Dwight, a U.S. Air Force veteran, was one of America's first Black astronaut trainees. He is one of the country's pre-eminent sculptors with works in major museums, including the Smithsonian Institution.

Purchase of the coins, which are legal tender, will provide collectors with one of the few American coins honoring African Americans. It also provides an affordable and rare opportunity for every American to contribute to the creation of a national monument.

To order, call 1-800-MINT-USA, or write United States Mint, P. O. Box 382613, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15250-8613. Prices are: