Jupiter Hammon facts for kids
Jupiter Hammon (born October 17, 1711 – died around 1806) was an important American writer. He is known as one of the first people to create African-American literature. His poem, published in New York in 1761, was the very first by an African American in North America. After this, he continued to publish both poems and other writings. Hammon was also a preacher and worked as a clerk on Long Island, New York.
Jupiter Hammon was born into slavery at the Lloyd Manor on Long Island. He was taught how to read and write. In 1761, when he was almost 50 years old, Hammon published his first poem. It was called "An Evening Thought: Salvation by Christ with Penitential Cries." This made him the first African-American poet to have his work published in North America. He was also a respected preacher and bookkeeper. His poems, which often talked about slavery, became widely known. Hammon was a strong Christian. He used his religious beliefs to speak out against slavery.
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Jupiter Hammon's Early Life
Not many details are known about Jupiter Hammon's personal life. His parents, Opium and Rose, were also enslaved people. They were bought by Henry Lloyd. They were the first enslaved people recorded in the Lloyd Papers to serve the Lloyd family for a long time. Jupiter Hammon was born into slavery at the Lloyd Manor. This place is now called Lloyd Harbor, New York. He served the Lloyd family his entire life, working for four different generations of the family.
The Lloyd family allowed Hammon to get a basic education. This education came through the Anglican Church system. It was likely given in exchange for his helpful attitude. Hammon's ability to read and write helped his enslavers with their businesses. These businesses supported the system of slavery. Some people believe Hammon wanted to use his writing skills to show how smart he was. He wrote poems and other works that used hidden meanings and symbols. This allowed him to safely share his feelings about slavery.
Jupiter Hammon's Writings
"An Evening Thought: Salvation by Christ, with Penitential Cries" was Jupiter Hammon's first published poem. He wrote it on December 25, 1760. It was printed as a broadside in 1761. A broadside was like a poster or a single sheet of paper. The printing of this poem made Jupiter Hammon the first black poet to be published.
Eighteen years later, his second work was printed. It was called "An Address to Miss Phillis Wheatley." Hammon wrote this poem during the American Revolutionary War. At that time, Henry Lloyd had moved his family and enslaved people from Long Island. They went to Hartford, Connecticut, to avoid British soldiers. Phillis Wheatley was an enslaved woman in Massachusetts. She published her first book of poetry in 1773 in London. She is known as the first published black female author. Hammon never met Wheatley, but he admired her greatly. His poem for her had 21 rhyming stanzas. Each stanza had a Bible verse that went with it. Hammon hoped his poem would encourage Wheatley on her Christian journey.
In 1778, Hammon published "The Kind Master and Dutiful Servant." This was a poem written as a conversation. Then, in 1782, he published "A Poem for Children with Thoughts on Death." These works helped set the stage for his important speech. This speech was called "An Address to Negros in the State of New York." Hammon gave this speech at the first meeting of the African Society in New York City. This happened on September 24, 1786. He was 76 years old and still enslaved. In his speech, he told the crowd, "If we should ever get to Heaven, we shall find nobody to reproach us for being black, or for being slaves." He also said that he personally did not wish to be free. However, he did wish that other people, especially "the young negroes, were free."
Hammon's speech used many Christian ideas and teachings. He encouraged Black people to keep their strong moral values. He believed that "being slaves on Earth had already secured their place in heaven." Experts think Hammon supported ending slavery slowly, step by step. He believed that freeing all enslaved people at once would be too difficult. Quakers in New York supported ending slavery. They published Hammon's speech. It was also reprinted by several groups that worked to end slavery. One of these was the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery.
Jupiter Hammon wrote eight works in total. These included four poems and four prose writings. All of them were about religious topics. "An Address to Negroes in the State of New York" was Hammon's last writing. It was probably his most important one. It is believed that Jupiter Hammon died in or before the year 1806. His death was not officially recorded. However, it is thought that Hammon was buried separately from the Lloyd family. He was buried on their property in an unmarked grave.
New Discoveries
Two poems by Hammon that were not known before have been found recently. In 2011, a student named Julie McCown found the first one. She was a doctoral student at the University of Texas at Arlington. She found the poem in the library at Yale University. This poem is from 1786. McCown says it shows a "shifting point" in Hammon's ideas about slavery. The second poem was found in 2015 by Claire Bellerjeau. She was researching the Townsend family and their enslaved people. They lived at Raynham Hall in Oyster Bay, nearby.
Works by Jupiter Hammon
- "An Evening Thought" (1761)
- "Untitled" (1770, never published)
- "An Address to Miss Phillis Wheatly" (1778)
- "An Essay on the Ten Virgins" (1779, lost work)
- "A Winter Piece" (1782)
- "A Poem for Children with Thoughts on Death" (1782)
- "An Evening's Improvement" (1783)
- "The Kind Master and Dutiful Servant" (1783)
- "An Essay on Slavery" (1786, never published)
- An Address to the Negroes in the State of New-York (1787)
See also
- List of slaves
