While early European and American naturalists are credited with making great discoveries about the natural world, enslaved Africans and African Americans also made significant contributions to natural history but have otherwise been removed from the canon. Recently scholars have begun to document individual stories of enslaved people contributing to our early understanding of natural history. […]
The unacknowledged assistant to the Lewis and Clark Expedition
York was an enslaved man that was crucial to the Lewis and Clark expedition. He was born into slavery by the Clark family in Caroline County, Virginia, and then assigned to William Clark at a very young age. In his 30’s he was selected to participate in Lewis and Clark’s expedition to the Pacific Ocean. […]
Tradesmen, Diplomat, and Hunter
Although York had no say in the decision, at 30-something years old he was chosen to accompany the “Corps of Discovery” on their expedition from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark conferred at length about who would accompany them on their expedition. They chose interpreters, soldiers, and French oarsmen who […]
The Lewis and Clark expedition described at least 178 plants and 122 animals. While no plants or animals bear York’s name, like the Clark’s nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana) or the Lewis woodpecker (Melanerpes lewis), it is clear that he helped identify many of the species that were documented along the way. On March 7, 1806, Lewis […]
Concord, Massachusetts holds a special place in natural history. It is home to the famous Walden Pond which provided much inspiration to the writings of Henry David Thoreau and the development of his Transcendental Conservation Ethic. However, the woods surrounding Walden Pond were home to many generations of formerly enslaved people, and their stories of […]
Formerly enslaved residents of Walden Woods before Thoreau’s experiment
Starting at the end of the American Revolution and before Thoreau began his experiment living deliberately off the land, Walden Woods was home to a population of free Black residents. Town officials designated Walden Woods as a place in Concord where formerly enslaved people could reside. The land surrounding the Pond was dry and dusty, […]
Contemporary African American influencers of Henry David Thoreau
Thomas Dugan was a self-emancipated African American from Virginia and the third formerly enslaved person to own land in Concord. After his first wife died, Thomas married Jennie Parker. Thoreau often writes in his journals about stopping by the Dugan’s cabin on his walks for advice or just to have a friendly conversation about farming, […]
Previous page Next page