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In the latter part of the 19th Century, Reverend William J.
Simmons compiled a book of biographies of prominent African
Americans. He did it because he was concerned that former slaves,
their children, and their children's children would grow up
ignorant of the remarkable African Americans who contributed
to their race and their nation. He did it so that their stories
would inspire them to overcome their own hardships and the social
and psychological impact 200 years of slavery had wrought on
their society.
Names like Frederick Douglass, Crispus Attucks, and Benjamin
Bannecker are familiar to some Americans, but most are not.
Among the least known of these "Men of Mark: Eminent, Progressive
and Rising," is Solomon G. Brown.
Most of the individuals highlighted in Simmons' book were born
into slavery, but Solomon Brown was not. He was born of free
parents in the District of Columbia. However, like almost all
the individuals in the book, Brown was born poor and grew up
illiterate. By 1844, at age 15, he was homeless and penniless,
but managed to find work with the assistant postmaster in Washington.
Besides delivering the mail, the post office department at that
time had oversight for a new experiment conducted by the esteemed
scientist Joseph Henry and partners.
Henry's primary partner was Samuel F. B. Morse, whose goal
was to convince the government that a mechanical telegraph could
accurately and quickly send messages across the entire country.
To test the feasibility of the telegraph, they needed manual
labor to construct the poles and install the wires. Beginning
from Washington to Baltimore, Solomon Brown was assigned to
help, becoming the only African American to witness first-hand
the birth of the telegraph age.
While Morse's future held a lifetime of lawsuits and financial
distresses, Joseph Henry's future was bright. Soon after the
telegraph experiment, Henry was named the first Secretary of
the newly established Smithsonian Institution. And, very soon
after that he hired Solomon Brown to work as a laborer.
Brown didn't stay a laborer for long. He quickly became indispensable
to the Institution by teaching himself to read, and with time,
acquiring the skills in chemistry, math, and science necessary
to pursue studies in nature and biology. Brown eventually became
a noted naturalist, renown for his witty, self-illustrated lectures
on geology, plants, and insects. His life outside the walls
of the Smithsonian were just as noteworthy. Brown was elected
to the D.C. House of Delegates; he founded several schools and
churches the new African American communities of post-Civil
War Washington; and, he was an accomplished poet. In 1904, Solomon
Brown was present at the groundbreaking of the first national
museum, the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.
He retired from the Smithsonian two years later, after 54 years
of dedicated service.
Solomon G. Brown earned his position in Reverend Simmons’
book of esteemed African Americans, as he was an inspiration
to all who knew him, and his story will inspire those who read
about him. By doing so, he also personified the Smithsonian’s
mission by devoting his life to "the increase and diffusion
of knowledge."
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