 |
| Photo: Lewis Howard Latimer |
Lewis Howard Latimer's floor begins earlier he was born, but I approximate that may hold out said most all of our stories. The years leading upward to Lewis' nascency were specially interesting because his parents George together with Rebecca Latimer made a theater conclusion to escape Virginia's slavery. According to MD Winifred Latimer Norman, Lewis' granddaughter, the family's papers recount the determination of his woman nurture Rebecca to "not hold out the woman nurture of a slave."
Lewis Latimer's Parents Escape Slavery
In 1842, Rebecca Latimer devised a really peculiar project design to escape slavery. She and her married adult man George would escape slavery past times his passing equally White together with acting equally his to a greater extent than hued wife's master. They did larn out Norfolk, Virginia accompanied equally original together with servant. They headed for Baltimore together with continued to Boston, Massachusetts. This is the menage unit of measurement history Lewis Latimer was born into on September 4, 1848, the youngest of iv children, inward Chelsea, Massachusetts.
When the Latimer's arrived inward Boston, George was forthwith recognized. He was imprisoned equally a fugitive slave. Rebecca had escaped capture. George's possessor refused to surrender his efforts to accept him returned to Norfolk, Virginia equally his personal property. Fortunately, the Latimers arrived inward a Boston that had a potent slavery abolition movement brewing. Bostonians did non similar the fact that their revenue enhancement dollars were existence used to enforce the fugitive slave law. George Latimer's example became a slavery abolitionist cause.
William Lloyd Garrison publicized the example inward his abolitionist newspaper, The Liberator. It included a missive of the alphabet from Frederick Douglass regarding the community's efforts to secure George Latimer's freedom. After a month's remain inward jail, Black abolitionist purchased his freedom from his possessor for $400.00. Rebecca remained a fugitive, coming inward together with out of menage unit of measurement life equally she could. According to the menage unit of measurement records, Rebecca worked at jobs that allowed her protection from detection inward spaces were the fugitive slave police push clit was yet enforced. Eventually, George Latimer's high profile case garnered the signature of 65,000 Massachusetts citizens that led to the passage of a Earth police push clit that "all judges, justices of the peace, together with officers of the commonwealth, are forbidden, nether heavy penalties, to help or human activity inward whatever agency inward the arrest, detention, or delivery of whatever soul claimed equally a fugitive slave."
 |
| Lewis Latimer Contributions to Electric Lighting |
In low-cal of his family's history, it is no surprise that the immature Lewis would desire to participate inward the U.S. Civil War. In 1864, at the historic menstruum xvi years, Lewis lied most his historic menstruum together with enlisted inward the Union Navy. He would serve aboard the USS Massasoit together with saw armed services activeness on the James River inward Virginia close the plantations where his parents had been enslaved.
Lewis Latimer Returns to Boston
After the U.S. Civil War ended, Lewis returned to Boston. He secured a labor equally an office assistant inward the patent police push clit theater of Crosby together with Gould. Here, he became fascinated amongst the mechanical drawings the draftsmen prepared for the U.S. Patent Office. Lewis taught himself mechanical drawing. Soon, he was hired at the firm as a patent draftsman. He stayed amongst the patent firm for twelve years together with became its main draftsman. He believed, equally many during that time, that patenting inventions was the agency to wealth.
In Boston, Lewis also met Alexander Graham Bell. According to his journal, he made the drawings for Bell's kickoff patent application for the telephone. In 1879, Lewis left Boston amongst Mary, his novel bride, together with moved to Bridgeport, Connecticut -- a kind of silicon valley of applied scientific discipline innovation at its time. In 1881, Lewis' patent for the "Incandescent Electric Light Bulb amongst Carbon Filament" was sold to the U.S.A. Electric Company. In 1882, Lewis patented a procedure for efficiently manufacturing the carbon filament, equally good as developed the at nowadays famous threaded socket for his improved bulb. In 1890, Lewis wrote the first mass on electrical lighting, "Incandescent Electric Lighting". He went on to acquaint together with was a major contributor to the international installation of world electrical lights. Lewis contributed to world lightings inward Philadelphia, New York, Montreal, together with London.
Post a Comment