Reverend Dr. Thomas Nelson Baker : Philosopher Born Enslaved

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 General Samuel Chapman Armstrong’s Hampton Agricultural & Normal School. He then studied at the Mount Hermon Boys’ School in Western Massachusetts, under the influence of internationally recognized evangelist Dwight Lyman Moody. 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.