William Billings

William Billings

A leather tanner with a feeble body, but a powerful musical voice. 


William Billings.jpg

By looking at the American Revolution from the street-level, through the eyes of the real people who lived it,  we can see the events as they  truly happened; this story of real people and uncertain outcomes. What was this person’s experience and how was it shaped by their beliefs, their occupation, their age, the color of their skin? 

From the Card:

  • You are blind in one eye, have a disabled arm, and one of your legs is shorter than the other. You are also addicted to snuff.
  • Despite having a trade, you are poor and uneducated.
  • You are considered to be the first American composer. Despite your lack of formal training, you write and teach music in schools near Boston.
  • Your music is patriotic and you proudly refuse to follow established compositional rules.
  • Your tune, Chester, is the unofficial national anthem of the early United States.

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