Thomas L. Jennings

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Thomas L. Jennings (1791–1856) was a leading abolitionist. He was a free tradesman who operated a dry-cleaning business in New York City, New York.

When he was thirty years old, in 1821, he was granted a patent for a dry cleaning process called "dry scouring." Dry scouring was a patented method of dry cleaning. The first money Jennings earned was spent on the legal fees that were necessary to purchase his family out of slavery, and to support the abolitionist cause. Although he was the first African American to receive a patent, he was not, in fact, the first African American whose invention was patented. In 1857, Oscar Stuart,a slave owner, patented a "double cotton scraper." He did not, in fact, invent the double cotton scraper, but the only name given for the actual inventor was Ned, his slave. In his defense, Stuart claimed that "the master is the owner of the fruits of the labor of the slave, both manual and intellectual."

Thomas L. Jennings was famous for his dry- cleaning business. In 1793 and 1836, it was legal for both slaves and freedman to receive patents for their inventions. However, it was not in 1857. In 1858, the United States Patent Office changed the patent law, in Stuart’s favor. Their reasoning was that slaves were not citizens, and could not be granted patents. Yet, in 1870, the patent office passed a law that any black person, whether a slave or freedman could have their invention patented. In 1831, Jennings became assistant secretary to the first Annual Convention of the People of Color in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The important man in history I am researching is Thomas Jennings. He was born in 1791. Thomas Jennings was the first African-American to receive a patent. Jennings' skills were so accepted that people near and far-off came to him to alter or custom-tailor objects of clothing for them. He invented a dry cleaning business, and received a patent for following through with his idea. The topic is of how he made this task a reality and build his family out of slavery. Thomas Jennings had many significant time periods throughout his life. When he became 30, in 1821, he granted a patent for dry cleaning, or dry scouring. Another important date in his life period was in 1831, Thomas Jennings became assistant secretary for the First Annual Convention of the People of Color in Philadelphia, PA.