Jupiter Hammon
Jupiter Hammon
Jupiter Hammonwas a black poet who in 1761 became the first African-American writer to be published in the present-day United States. Additional poems and sermons were also published. Born into slavery, Hammon was never emancipated. He was living in 1790 at the age of 79, and died by 1806. A devout Christian, he is considered one of the founders of African-American literature...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPoet
CountryUnited States of America
eye men faithful
It is our duty to be faithful, not with eye service as men pleasers.
drown greater honours riches
Riches and honours which drown the greater part of mankind, who have the gospel, in perdition, can be little or no temptations to us.
war white numbers
When I was at Hartford in Connecticut, where I lived during the war, I published several pieces which were well received, not only by those of my own colour, but by a number of the white people, who thought they might do good among their servants.
trying
Let all the time you can get be spent in trying to learn to read.
book thinking people
If you see most people neglect the Bible, and many that can read never look into it, let it not harden you and make you think lightly of it, and that it is a book of no worth.
pain believe use
If a servant strives to please his master and studies and takes pains to do it, I believe there are but few masters who would use such a servant cruelly.
believe white people
I suppose I have had more advantages and privileges than most of you, who are slaves have ever known, and I believe more than many white people have enjoyed, for which I desire to bless God, and pray that he may bless those who have given them to me.
world drink masters
As we depend upon our masters, for what we eat and drink and wear, and for all our comfortable things in this world, we cannot be happy, unless we please them.
masters unfaithfulness time-spent
All the time spent idly, is spent wickedly, and is unfaithfulness to our masters.
reading book matter
If there was no Bible, it would be no matter whether you could read or not. Reading other books would do you no good.
hurt being-free slave
Besides all this, if you are idle, and take to bad courses, you will hurt those of your brethren who are slaves, and do all in your power to prevent their being free.
war white judging
That liberty is a great thing we may know from our own feelings, and we may likewise judge so from the conduct of the white-people, in the late war.
white black rich
He will bring us all, rich and poor, white and black, to his judgment seat.
men wicked saws
You know that murder is wicked. If you saw your master kill a man, do you suppose this would be any excuse for you, if you should commit the same crime?