Thomas L. Jennings, born in 1791 to a free family in New York City, is the first African-American to be awarded a United States Patent. Jennings owned and operated a tailoring and dry-cleaning business. He developed a process known as "dry scouring" for cleaning clothes. He applied for and received a patent for the process in March 1821.
His patent was controversial when granted because patents were supposed to be granted to the master of a slave, but Jennings was free-born so he was able to retain all of his rights. He used his early earnings to buy his wife and some children out of slavery.
Jennings was also an activist for African-American rights. His daughter Elizabeth was forcibly removed from a 'whites only' streetcar, so he organized a movement against racial segregation in public transportation. Elizabeth won her case in 1855, but it wasn't until a decade later that New York City streetcar companies ceased segregation.
No comments:
Post a Comment