Black American… I wanted to talk about those who have made incredible 
contributions to our country and world.
They are scientists, authors, athletes, and politicians; these black men and women helped make America a great nation today.
Black history is American history.
It’s the story of how Africans and their descendants fought and sacrificed for this country, even when they weren’t given the same rights and opportunities as other citizens.
James McCune Smith is one of those people.
Born on April 18, 1813 to an enslaved mother in New York City, he was enslaved from birth and freed along with the rest of New York’s remaining slaves by the state’s Emancipation Act in 1827.
Very early in his life, Smith was identified as a gifted student while studying at the New York African Free-School.
Even though he was academically gifted…
Several American universities rejected him when he applied for admission because of his blackness.
Meanwhile, in Scotland, the University of Glasgow stepped in and offered him a place, which he accepted.
In recognition of Smith’s academic ability, they raised money to cover his passage to Scotland, tuition, and living expenses.
In 1832-33, he took Greek classes, Anatomy classes in 1833-34, and Medicine and Surgery classes in 1835.
As a student at one of Britain’s “ancient” medieval universities and in the seat of the Scottish Enlightenment, Smith had access to a stimulating academic environment.
While at Glasgow University, Smith earned three degrees with five years of study.
- In 1835, he earned a Bachelor’s degree
- Followed by a Master’s degree in 1836
- Then a Doctorate of Medicine in 1837.
In addition…
He was fluent in Latin, Greek, and French and with a working knowledge of Hebrew, Italian, Spanish and German.
During the year 1837…
James McCune Smith graduated from the University of Glasgow as the first African American to receive a medical degree.
The man who returned to New York in 1837 had not simply been a gifted and able African American but was also a man who believed that things could be different.
For an African American studying in Scotland, the opportunity to do so was unheard of in his own country, where slavery was still legal in the Southern states.
But Smith believed that this could change.
He believed he was living proof that things could be different – proving he was the same as any man, regardless of race.
It was a belief he championed for the rest of his life.
In recognition of the importance of his friend’s five years abroad, Frederick Douglass, the American social reformer and abolitionist, said:
“With his education in Scotland, he returned home with a vision of liberty …more so than those citizens of his city who were of African descent. “
As of the beginning of 1838…
Dr. Smith opened the first African-American-owned and operated pharmacy in New York City; the pharmacy served black and white patients alike.
Over the next 25 years, Dr. Smith would own two pharmacies and practice medicine.
And so…
Dr. Smith’s body of work, including his abolitionist speeches and writings, supported an end to slavery.
Besides writing about medicine, science, pharmacy, literature, and geography, he was also an educator and an abolitionist.
Regardless of his race, he was one of the foremost intellectuals in 19th century America. (Black American)
Although he was interested in the professional world, he stepped beyond it to write about the people and the world around him;
His work included a series of literary portraits of African Americans in New York City.
Then…Read More
In the 1840s, Smith married Malvina Barnet and had 11 children, but only five survived adulthood. Dr. Smith died of heart failure in November 17, 1865 at 52.