Jupiter Hammon

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/jupiter-hammon

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was Jupiter Hammon born?October 17, 1711
2. Where was Jupiter Hammon born?Lloyd Manor, Long Island, New York
3. What is the first published work?Poem: 'An Evening Thought: Salvation by Christ with Penitential Cries' (1761)
4. What is the primary literary distinction?First African-American man to have a poem published in North America
5. Who was Jupiter Hammon?He was the first African‑American man to have a poem printed in North America. He was born in 1711 on Long Island and grew up as a slave.
6. What was special about his poem published in 1761?It was the first poem by an African‑American man that people could read and share. It showed that Black writers could create beautiful, meaningful work.

Chattel Slavery: A system where enslaved people are treated as personal property, bought and sold like goods.
Literary Tradition: A body of written works that share common themes, styles, or cultural origins.
Evangelical Christianity: A movement within Protestant Christianity that emphasizes the experience of conversion and the authority of the Bible.