America's always had black inventors – even when the patent system explicitly excluded them
- Written by Shontavia Johnson, Professor of Intellectual Property Law, Drake University
Thomas L. Jennings became the first black American patent holder in 1821.America has long been the land of innovation. More than 13,000 years ago, the Clovis people created what many call the “first American invention” – a stone tool used primarily to hunt large game. This spirit of American creativity has persisted through the...