A Hammer in Their Hands : A Documentary History of Technology and the African-American Experience

Scholars working at the intersection of African-American history and the history of technology are redefining the idea of technology to include the work of the skilled artisan and the ingenuity of the self-taught inventor. Although denied access through most of American history to many new technologies and to the privileged education of the engineer, African-Americans have been engaged with a range of technologies, as makers and as users, since the colonial era. A Hammer in Their Hands (the title comes from the famous song about John Henry, "the steel-driving man" who beat the steam drill) collects newspaper and magazine articles, advertisements for runaway slaves, letters, folklore, excerpts from biography and fiction, legal patents, protest pamphlets, and other primary sources to document the technological achievements of African-Americans.Included in this rich and varied collection are a letter from Cotton Mather describing an early method of smallpox inoculation brought from Africa by a slave; selections from Frederick Douglass's autobiography and Uncle Tom's Cabin; the Confederate Patent Act, which barred slaves from holding patents; articles from 1904 by Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. DuBois, debating the issue of industrial education for African-Americans; a 1924 article from Negro World, "Automobiles and Jim Crow Regulations"; a photograph of an all-black World War II combat squadron; and a 1998 presidential executive order on environmental justice. A Hammer in Their Hands and its companion volume of essays, Technology and the African-American Experience (MIT Press, 2004) will be essential references in an emerging area of study. Scholars working at the intersection of African-American history and the history of technology are redefining the idea of technology to include the work of the skilled artisan and the ingenuity of the self-taught inventor. Although denied access through most of American history to many new technologies and to the privileged education of the engineer, African-Americans have been engaged with a range of technologies, as makers and as users, since the colonial era. A Hammer in Their Hands (the title comes from the famous song about John Henry, "the steel-driving man" who beat the steam drill) collects newspaper and magazine articles, advertisements for runaway slaves, letters, folklore, excerpts from biography and fiction, legal patents, protest pamphlets, and other primary sources to document the technological achievements of African-Americans. Included in this rich and varied collection are a letter from Cotton Mather describing an early method of smallpox inoculation brought from Africa by a slave; selections from Frederick Douglass's autobiography and Uncle Tom's Cabin ; the Confederate Patent Act, which barred slaves from holding patents; articles from 1904 by Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. DuBois, debating the issue of industrial education for African-Americans; a 1924 article from Negro World , "Automobiles and Jim Crow Regulations"; a photograph of an all-black World War II combat squadron; and a 1998 presidential executive order on environmental justice. A Hammer in Their Hands and its companion volume of essays, Technology and the African-American Experience (MIT Press, 2004) will be essential references in an emerging area of study. Introduction......Page 12 I COLONIAL ERA......Page 20 1 African Medicine in the New World......Page 22 2 New World Skills......Page 26 II ANTEBELLUM YEARS......Page 40 3 The Persistence of Craft......Page 42 4 The New Industrial Age......Page 78 III WAR, RECONSTRUCTION, AND SEGREGATION......Page 110 5 Finding a Place in the Industrial Age......Page 112 IV THE PROGRESSIVE ERA......Page 126 6 Training for the Industrial Age......Page 128 7 Inventors......Page 182 V BETWEEN THE WORLD WARS......Page 198 8 The Rural South......Page 200 9 Industrial Employment......Page 212 10 The Automobile......Page 228 VI World War II and the Cold War......Page 240 11 Learning to Fly......Page 242 12 War Work......Page 250 13 After the War......Page 274 VII THE MOVEMENT AND BEYOND......Page 296 14 Setting a Political Agenda......Page 298 15 Ties to Africa......Page 308 16 Engineering Careers......Page 320 17 Accessing the Information Age......Page 358 18 Technological Troubles......Page 376 Further Readings......Page 404 Index......Page 406 'a Hammer In Their Hands' Collects Newspaper & Magazine Articles, Advertisements For Runaway Slaves, Letters, Folklore, Excerpts From Biography & Fiction, Legal Patents, Protest Pamphlets, & Other Primary Sources To Document The Technological Achievements Of African Americans. 1. African Medicine In The New World -- 2. New World Skills -- 3. The Persistence Of Craft -- 4. The New Industrial Age -- 5. Finding A Place In The Industrial Age -- 6. Training For The Industrial Age -- 7. Inventors -- 8. The Rural South -- 9. Industrial Employment -- 10. The Automobile -- 11. Learning To Fly -- 12. War Work -- 13. After The War -- 14. Setting A Political Agenda -- 15. Ties To Africa -- 16. Engineering Careers -- 17. Accessing The Information Age -- 18. Technological Troubles -- Further Readings -- Index. Edited By Carroll Pursell. Published In Cooperation With The Lemelson Center For The Study Of Invention And Innovation At The Smithsonian Institution. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [385]-386) And Index. Scholars working at the intersection of African-American history and the history of technology are redefining the idea of technology to include the work of the skilled artisan and the ingenuity of the self-taught inventor. Although denied access through most of American history to many new technologies and to the privileged education of the engineer, African-Americans have worked with a range of technologies, as makers and as users, since the colonial era. A Hammer in Their Hands (the title comes from the famous song about John Henry, "the steel-driving man" who beat the steam drill) collects newspaper and magazine articles, advertisements for runaway slaves, letters, folklore, excerpts from biography and fiction, legal patents, protest pamphlets, and other primary sources to document the technological achievements of African-Americans