Reverend Dr. Thomas Nelson Baker - by Linda Batty (Paperback)

About the Book

With an introduction from renowned philosopher of race George Yancy, this biography reveals the struggles and successes of Rev. Dr. Thomas Nelson Baker, the first known Black man to earn a doctoral degree in philosophy in the United States.

Book Synopsis

With an introduction from renowned philosopher of race George Yancy, this biography reveals the struggles and successes of Rev. Dr. Thomas Nelson Baker, the first known Black man to earn a doctoral degree in philosophy in the United States.

Born enslaved in 1860 in Eastville, Virginia, Baker spent his youth and early manhood as a farm laborer. He built on what little education was available for freed Black Americans, enrolling at the Mount Hermon Boys' School in Western Massachusetts, under the influence of internationally recognized evangelist Dwight Lyman Moody. He then studied at General Samuel Chapman Armstrong's Hampton Agricultural & Normal School. After undergraduate studies at Boston University, he studied at Yale Divinity and at Yale University, finally earning his Ph.D. while serving as preacher at the 2nd Congregational Church of Pittsfield Massachusetts.

From an enslaved child to a doctor of philosophy to a preacher, through his life and his numerous writings, Baker was an early advocate of the Black pride movement, a strong supporter of women's suffrage, and an advocate of ecumenicalism. His biography is both a lesson in history and a source of inspiration for all those fighting against unjust societal norms.

Review Quotes

"I first learned of Thomas Nelson Baker twenty-five years ago in our school archives. In my pantheon ever since, I assumed I knew him. Here instead, Linda Batty has recreated a living image: a towering intellectual bursting with humanity. That life I'd imagined now seems but a reflection on the wall of Plato's cave." --Peter Weis, Archivist of Northfield Mount Hermon

"My deepest gratitude to Linda Batty, her astounding research and work awakened me to my grandfather's story as part of the legacy of African excellence extending back long before slavery. Despite the dehumanizing challenges, U.S. Africans like my grandfather seize every opportunity to manifest their potential." --Newman Taylor Baker a.k.a. Washboard XT, grandson of Rev. Dr. Thomas Nelson Baker and world-renowned washboarder, drummer, and teaching artist

About the Author

Linda Batty is a professional librarian who served as a faculty member at Northfield Mount Hermon preparatory school. Her previous publications include annual bibliographies for Lincoln Center's Film Comment magazine and the American Film Institute's American Film magazine.