From the Clock to the Supercomputer: Inventions by Black Americans That Changed America and the World

From the Clock to the Supercomputer brings to vivid life the story of black American inventors and their inventions from the beginning of the eighteenth century to the present time, focusing on inventors whose products, processes, and machines have changed the lives of countless millions of men and women throughout the world. In telling their story, Idalia Mapp highlights the opposing forces of racism and opportunity, slavery and freedom, idealism and materialism - contradictory tendencies that have fueled both the conflicts and the achievements of Americans and contributed to America's present position as the most technologically advanced society in the world. Although the inventions of many black Americans have been acknowledged, many others have been stolen or not properly credited, especially the inventions of slaves and women. Mapp outlines the many personal and social barriers that black American inventors have had to overcome to finance, register, protect, manufacture, and reap the benefits of their inventions - a struggle that continues today.

From the Clock to the Supercomputer is a must read for anyone seeking to learn more about the lives of black inventors and their inventions and how their stories reveal a particularly important aspect of racial politics in American history, namely, how white Europeans socially constructed the concept of blacks as inferior beings to support their view of themselves as superior beings. Mapp debunks such racist myths, humanizes black inventors, and examines the greater importance of their work in the context of American social, political, and commercial history. Idalia Mapp is an assistant professor in the Graduate School of Social Services at Fordham University. She has a private practice specializing in couples intervention, family intervention, and individual counseling.