New Jersey Honors Revolutionary War Hero Cudjo Banquante in Weeklong Celebration

JAMES AMEMASOR

A citywide tribute will take place from April 27 to May 4 as a coalition of historical and cultural organizations across New Jersey comes together to honor the extraordinary life and legacy of Cudjo Banquante—a remarkable yet largely unsung hero of the American Revolution.

Once enslaved, Cudjo fought for American independence, gained his freedom after the war, and later became a prosperous businessman in Newark. His story, rooted in both West African nobility and American struggle, will be commemorated through a series of events open to the public.

A Hero Remembered

Cudjo Banquante, often called Jack Cudjo, was born around 1720s in the Gold Coast (modern-day Ghana), into the royal Akyem Abuakwa family. During an era when the Trans-Atlantic trade in Africans was at its height, Cudjo was forcibly taken from his homeland and sold into slavery in the New World.

Though the exact details of his capture and arrival in the Americas remain unclear, records confirm that by the time of the American Revolution, he was enslaved by the Benjamin Coe family of Newark, New Jersey, owners of a large estate on the outskirts of the town.

When British forces briefly occupied Newark, the Coe family fled to Hanover near Morristown, New Jersey, where Cudjo was conscripted into the Third New Jersey Regiment of the Continental Army as a substitute for his enslaver—a practice induced by an act of the New Jersey state legislature.

Cudjo fought valiantly in several key battles, including the Battles of Brandywine and Germantown (1777–78), Monmouth (1778), and Yorktown (1781).

Following the war, Cudjo was granted his freedom and an acre of land in recognition of his military service. In a remarkable twist of fate, the man once robbed of his royal birthright went on to rebuild his life and raised a family in Newark.

By early the 1800s, he had become a respected businessman. His name appears in early 1800 Essex County land deeds and Newark tax records, and his will, dated 1820 (probated 1827), confirms his full identity as Cudjo Banquante.

Bringing Cudjo Banquante’s Story to Greater Public Light

Although stories of Cudjo’s enslavement, military service, postwar era freedom, and business success circulated as early as the mid-19th century, it wasn’t until the early 2000s that scholars and historians began to delve into his legacy.

Charles F. Cummings, the late City of Newark Historian and Director of New Jersey Information Center at the Newark Public Library, profiled him in his Knowing Newark weekly columns for The Star-Ledger. Cummings’ articles motivated Ghanaian-born author Kofi Ayim, who published the first book-length biography of Cudjo in 2011, linking him to the royal Akyem Abuakwa line through the surname “Banquante.” Jack Cudjo: Newark’s Revolutionary Soldier & First Black Businessman (revised in 2025) took Mr. Ayim several years of numerous visits to libraries and archives to research and write.

It’s the kind of work that requires passion, patience, and great attention to detail. Cudjo’s life story is one of perseverance, resilience, and reinvention.

He overcame the trauma of the Middle Passage and enslavement, survived brutal wartime conditions, and defied the odds by achieving prosperity late in life—starting his new life at around 70 years old and leaving a legacy that now stretches across the United States.

Weeklong Events in Newark, New Jersey

To commemorate this inspiring historical figure, a week of public events is planned, including:

  • Academic Symposia
  • Genealogy Workshops
  • A Guided Bus Tour of African American Historical Sites in Newark
  • Unveiling of a Historical Marker at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC)

These events aim to deepen public understanding of Cudjo’s life and contributions, and to celebrate the rich history of people of African descent in the founding, growth, and development of the United States.

Come to Newark and learn about Cudjo Banquante—a man born into African royalty, stripped of freedom and identity, who nonetheless fought for American liberty, reclaimed his dignity, and died a successful American businessman with descendants across the nation.

For event details and registration, visit: https://www.newarkhistorysociety.org/honoring-cudjo-banquante/

The writer, Dr. James Amemasor, is a Lecturer at Rutgers University, Newark. He’s also a member of Honoring Cudjo Banquante Planning Committee.