#7: Nathan “Nearest” Green
Nathan Green was born into slavery and emancipated during the American Civil War. It shouldn’t really be surprising to anyone that America’s slaves didn’t receive recognition for their enormous and countless contributions to American knowledge, society, and culture, as if we didn’t know that slavery involved the mass mistreatment and exploitation of their lives and labor to benefit White American society.

You could tell me pretty much any American invention was actually invented by a slave and stolen by its owner, and I would probably believe you. It’s a familiar story. We have a classic American spirit thanks to Nathan Green, but I wonder if anyone ever said thanks to Nathan Green.
