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The Poet Jupiter

by Roger W Hancock

     Black Americans whether slave or free have contributed, from the beginning, to the making of America. In various capacities from the military to servitude as slaves, Black citizens are intertwined through the timeline of American heritage. America’s literature is no exception; Phillis Wheatly is a name that many in the poet community have heard. She was the first Black American poet to have published a book of poetry. Have you heard the name of Jupiter Hammon?

     Jupiter Hammon was the first published Black writer in America. His first published work, “An Evening Thought,” was written Christmas Day 1760 and printed on a broadside in early 1761. Seventeen years later acknowledging the shared condition of slavery, his second published piece, “An Address to Miss Phillis Wheatly,” was put to paper in 1778.

     Jupiter Hammon, a slave on the Lloyd Manor Estate, was given liberty of the library to read and write. He was born in 1711, lived during the birth of America and died in 1806 or shortly after. His poetry had been published when presented by associates of, or his “Master”. Hammon earned his reputation as a poet among whites as well as blacks. His poetry dealt with themes of race and slavery in a context steeped in his religious values.

     Hammon served as a minister for the servants on the Lloyd Manor Estate. He drew upon his faith almost exclusively for his poetry and as such has not become as known as Phillis Wheatly and other poets. As a slave Jupiter Hammon succeeded with no less than five works published on broadsides and in local newspapers.

     Many other Black Americans contributed to literature of poetic vision. The most famous of them was Langston Hughes. Though others have had the lime-light, the Black poetic legacy began with Jupiter Hammon’s poetic sermons.

6-30-07 Roger W Hancock, www.PoetPatriot.com

The Poet Jupiter
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Liberty is maintained by Responsible Freedom. - Roger W Hancock