1760s

Jupiter Hammon, an enslaved man on Long Island, New York, publishes 'An Evening Thought: Salvation by Christ, with Penetential Cries' on Christmas Day 1761 — an 88-line broadside poem. He becomes the first Black American to have his writing published in print, predating Phillis Wheatley's debut and launching an African American literary tradition.

Venture Smith, born Broteer Furro in West Africa around 1729 and enslaved as a child, purchased his own freedom in 1765 after years of hiring out his labor and saving money. He went on to purchase the freedom of his wife, children, and several other enslaved people, and became a prosperous farmer and businessman in Connecticut. His autobiography, published in 1798, is one of the earliest African American narratives and documents both the brutality of slavery and the extraordinary self-determination of an enslaved man.

Phillis Wheatley, enslaved in Boston since age seven, begins circulating poems in manuscript form among Boston's literary circles. Her poem 'On Messrs. Hussey and Coffin' is published in 1767. Her verse, rich in classical allusion and theological depth, implicitly contests slavery by asserting full Black intellectual and spiritual humanity.

Newport Gardner (Occramar Marycoo), an enslaved man in Newport, Rhode Island, teaches himself music theory so thoroughly that his owner's family employs him to give music lessons. He eventually opens a singing school in Newport — one of the earliest music schools in colonial America run by a Black person — and later composes songs that circulate in print.

Newport Gardner (Occramar Marycoo), enslaved in Newport, Rhode Island, teaches himself music theory and opens a singing school — one of colonial America's earliest music schools run by a Black person. He later composes songs that circulate in print, becoming a recognized musical figure in 18th-century New England.

Jupiter Hammon publishes "An Evening Thought," becoming the first African American author to appear in print in the colonies.