This lesson introduces students to the work of historians and to the historical figure of Thomas Jennings. Though not among the best-known Americans, Jennings was an activist, businessman, inventor, and possibly the first African American to receive a United States patent. Students practice sourcing and contextualization as they investigate historical documents to answer the question: Who was Thomas Jennings?
Image: Partial list of U.S. patents issued in 1821, including Thomas Jennings' patent for dry scouring. From the Library of Congress.