Jupiter Hammon:
America's First Black Poet, Jupiter Hammon, Was Born October 17, 1711.
On Decebmer 15, 1761, Hammon Published "An Evening Thought: Salvation by Christ with Penitential Cries." This Was The First Single Poem Published By An African American. (Phyllis Wheatley Published The First Volume Of Poetry In 1773).
In 1778 Hammon Released "An Address To Mis Phyllis Whearley, An Ethiopian Poetess." In Boston, The Second Of His Several Broadside Poems. Broadside Meant That The Works Were Printed On One Side Of A Large Sheet Of Paper.
Hammon Was Born The Son Of Slaves. He Became A House Slave Of The Lloyd Family Of Queens Village On Long Island, New York And Was Encouraged To Read And Write.
Jupiter Hammon Is Generally Considered The First African American Man Of Letters And One Of The Architects Of African American Literature. Most Information Suggests That He Died In 1806.
"In Order For Black History To Live, We Must Continue To breathe Life Into It." -- Hubert Gaddy, Jr.
