Five African-American Firsts You Might Not Know About

Every Black History Month, school teachers, local businesses, and other public operations pull out images of familiar African-Americans to hang on the wall. People are reminded of figures like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and Harriet Tubman. From them we generally make a leap to figures like Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, and Venus and Serena Williams. Again a leap is made to the modern age, and already President Barack Obama has become a symbol of the recognition of African-American history.

Yet there exist figures in African-American history that outdate the more popular figures we like to pull from the history shelves and dust off for a month. African-American "firsts" date back as far as the United States itself. From the time the first African stepped foot onto the North American continent, African-American history began, and many figures made their permanent imprints on history, despite how quickly those imprints were forgotten and overlooked. Here is a look at five African-American firsts you may not know about.

Jupiter Hammon

Jupiter Hammon is the first known African-American published author. Hammon was a slave of the Lloyd family of Long Island; while their slave, he was allowed to attend school. His first published poem, "An Evening's Thought: Salvation by Christ, with Penitential Cries" was published as a broadside on Christmas Day in 1760. Despite the knowledge and documentation of this fact, many persist in the contention that Phyllis Wheatley is the first published African-American. Wheatley's first publication, however, did not come until ten years after Hammon's. In 1778, Hammon published an address to Phyllis Wheatley, praising God for "bringing thee from distant shore,/ To learn His holy word." Hammon was a slave all his life, and while he expressed no personal desire for freedom, he did state, in what is known as the "Hammon Address" his wish that others, especially "the young Negroes, were free."

James Derham

James Derham was the first African-American to formally practice medicine in the United States. Born as a slave in Philadelphia, PA, Derham was owned by several doctors. His third owner, Dr. Robert Love, encouraged Derham to pursue medicine; through his work as a medical assistant and apothecary, Derham saved enough money to purchase his freedom. He opened his own medical practice in 1783, located in New Orleans. Despite not receiving medical training through a medical education program, Derham became known as a leading specialist in throat disorders. He was also known for his work in the study of the relationship between climate and disease.

Thomas L. Jennings

Thomas Jennings was the first African-American to hold a patent. In 1821, Jennings received a patent for dry scouring, a dry-cleaning method he developed at the age of thirty. Though Jennings himself was free, his family was still held in slavery at the time he received his patent. He used the money he earned from the patent to free his family. A supporter of abolition, Jennings donated a large amount of his income to the cause. He operated his dry-cleaning business out of New York City.

Sarah Jane Woodson Early

Sarah Jane Woodson Early became the first African-American female college professor in 1858. Early earned a degree from Oberlin College in 1856, making her one of the first African-American women to earn a college degree. She was employed by the Wilberforce University, joining their faculty in 1858. Early would go on to serve as a principal and teacher throughout the remainder of her life.

Thomas Mundy Peterson

Thomas Peterson was the first African-American to vote in an election under the 15th Amendment. The 15th Amendment, ratified on February 3, 1870, granted citizens the right to vote without regard to race, color, or a person's "previous condition of servitude." A month later, on March 31, Peterson voted in an election held in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Peterson's gravestone declares him the "first Negro voter in the United States under the Fifteenth Amendment." Peterson was issued a voting medal by the citizens of Perth Amboy in 1884. Peterson continued to be politically active throughout his life, and would go on to become the first African-American to hold an elected office in Perth Amboy.

Sources:

Famous Poets and Poems, "Jupiter Hammon Biography" , FamousPoetsandPoems.com

Essorment, "First 3 African-American Physicians" , Essortment.com

Mary Bellis, "Thomas Jennings" , About.com

The African American Registry, "Sarah Jane Woodson Early" , AARegistry.com

Find a Grave, "Thomas Peterson" (Gravestone Image) , FindaGrave.com