Apatentis agovernment grantto aninventorfor aninvention.George Washingtonsigned the firstpatent lawon April 10, 1790. The law gave patent holders thesoleright to make and sell their invention for 14 years. It prevents other people from copying their invention and making money off it during that time. The Patent Act encourages progress in science by allowing patent holders the right to make a living from their own creativity.
To receive a patent, an invention must be new and contribute something useful. A patent can't be granted to something that has already been invented, but a patent can be granted to improve an already existing invention. Patents can be granted to machines, products, devices, and processes.Chemicalcompounds, food, drugs, and the processes to make these things can also be patented.
Before theCivil War(1861–1865),slaverywas legal in the United States. Enslaved people were considered property and couldn't apply for patents. This didn't stop them from creating new inventions. Onesimus, a Massachusetts man enslaved byPuritanleaderCotton Mather, is credited with making aremedyforsmallpoxthat was introduced in 1721. A treatment of skin and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) created by an enslaved man named Papan was so effective that the Virginia statelegislaturefreed him from slavery so that he could practice medicine.
The following three men are notable African American inventors of the 18th century. All three men were born free; they were not enslaved persons. There were many more African Americans, men and women, enslaved and free, who designed, manufactured, and sold inventions. Most of their stories have been lost to history.
Benjamin Banneker
Benjamin Banneker (1731–1806) was a self-taughtmathematicianandsurveyor. When he was 21, Banneker was shown a pocket watch. He was so fascinated by the watch that its owner lent it to Banneker. He spent time studying pocket watches before deciding to build his own timepiece. A year later, Banneker invented a clock out of wood that struck a gong on the hour and kept time to the second. Banneker's wooden clock kept time for more than 40 years.
In 1792, Banneker completed the first Banneker'sAlmanac. Almanacs were important books in the 18th century because they told exactly when the sun came up in the morning and set at night. Almanacs also listed tide tables, dates of lunar and solar eclipses, holidays, and phases of the moon. Banneker's Almanac was commonly used by farmers and other residents of Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia during the 18th and 19th centuries.
Banneker gave a first edition of his almanac toThomas Jefferson. He called on Jefferson to give Black men and women equal rights, and to fight againstprejudicethat was "soprevalentin the world against those of mycomplexion. . . a race of beings, who have long labored under the abuse andcensureof the world." Jefferson replied to Banneker, writing, "nature has given to our Blackbrethrentalents equal to those of other colors of man." Slavery was abolished 59 years after Banneker's death.
James Forten
James Forten
(1766–1842) was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and lived there most of his life. He served in the U.S. Navy during theRevolutionary War. Captured and imprisoned by the British, Forten was offered his freedom if he agreed to live in England. Forten replied, "I am here a prisoner for the liberties of my country. I never, never shall prove atraitorto her interests!"
After the war, Forten was apprenticed to a sailmaker. He quickly learned the trade and developed a
patent
for a device to handle ship sails, which made him a wealthy man. Forten used his money toadvocatefor women’s rights and theabolitionof
slavery
.
George Peake
George Peake
(1722–1827) also fought in the
Revolutionary War
. He was the first African American to be part of the settlement that eventually became Cleveland, Ohio. At this time, Ohio was a largely unsettledfrontierin the western part of the United States.
Peake invented ahand millfor grinding corn. His
hand mill
was made of two round stonesapproximately48 centimeters (19 inches) wide. Peake's
invention
was easier to use than the traditionalmortar and pestle, and ground the corn more smoothly. Although Peake didn't
patent
his
invention
, he received credit for it in the November 8, 1858, issue of the newspaperCleveland Leader.
Fast Fact
Thomas Jennings
Although Henry Blair is the first inventor to be identified as Black by the U.S. Patent Office, he is not the first African American to be awarded a U.S. patent. Most historians agree that Thomas L. Jennings is the first African American patent holder in the United States. Jennings invented a way to dry-clean clothes in 1821. Judy W. Reed, of Washington, D.C., was the first African American woman to receive a patent. Reed's invention, patent number 305,474, granted September 23, 1884, is for a dough kneader and roller.
