The Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1931-1952, 1940-02-09
Listen To This
Negro History Week
Feb. lib
BY Ho0ers +. Mitchell


throughout the country this weeks
column is dedicated.
Somewhere I read this little
poem-I pass it on to you:
This land Is ours By right of birth,
This land is ours by right Of toll,
We helped to turn its origin earth,
Our stoedt is in its fruitful soil.
First person to lose life in Re-
volutionary War, according to the
United States Department of In
terror, was Crispus Attacks, Ne
gro.
First ships built on the Pacific
coast (1513) were built in part by
Negro labor in the employ of Bal
boa.
First woman to attain literary
distinction in America was Phyl-
lis Wheatley, a slave girl. Pub
lished her first book of verse in
1773 when but 20 years of age.
First movement to free Ameri-
can slaves began in Philadelphia
(April IA, 1879 as Quakers or
ganized the first anti-slavery So
ciety with Benjamin Franklin as
president.
First Negro to be elected men,
Der of Phi Beta Kappa fraternity
was Edward A. Bouchet, 1874, at
Yale University.
First colored Masonic Lodge
warrant was granted from Eng
land, September IL, 1874, Boston,
Massachusetts.
First woman bank president in
the United States, Maggie Mitch
ell Walker, Negro, born in Rich
mond, Va, July Is, 1867.
First time in the history of the
country, the Congress of the Unit
ed States officially honored a dis
tinguished colored American, April
5. The birthday of Booker T.
Washington was extolled in an ad-
dress delivered by Congressman
Arthur w. Mitchell, his first term.
First A.M.E. Church was organ
lied in Philadelphia by Richard
Allen, April 9, 1916.
First American to make a clock.
Benjamin Banneker, Negro, IA
mou mathematician, helped to lay
out the city of Washington, D. C.
First human being to stand on
the North Pole, Matt Henson, Ne
gro, member of the Perry North
Pole Expedition.
First mixed jury ever impaneled
in the United States was to try
Jefferson Davis, president of the
Confederate States, for treason,
but the case never came to trial.
There were IL whites and IL Ne
groes. Chief Justice Salmon P.
Chase was to preside.
First Negro to be granted a pat
ent was Henry Blair of Maryland,
who received official protection
for corn harvester, 1884.
First Negro to dine at the White
House as the guest of a President
of the United States, 1864, and
the first Negro to ride on a battle
ship as the guest of the United
States Navy, Frederick Douglas.
First Negro newspaper was pub
hshed in 1927 by John Russwurn.
1t was called the freedoms Jour
nal" In 1S41 the first Negro ma
gazine was published, being is
sued by the A.M.E. Church.
First race girl ever to appear on
the campus at West Point identi-
fled with a graduating member of
the Military school, was Miss Aga
tina Scott, of New Haven, Conn,
fiancee of Benjamin o. Davis, Jr.,
who graduated from West Point.
June IS, 1885.
First American regiment to en-
ter to st. Mihiel sector, during the
World War - the 370th Infantry
(colored).
First recognized Negro physi-
clan of whom there is any record
was born in Philadelphia in 1862
James Derham.
First time in the history of the
United States where a Neg1o's
name was necessary on all United
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