Dr. Alexander Thomas Augusta (1825-1890) Commemorative plaque, 2022.
File information | File dimensions | File size | Options |
Original JPG File | 8400 × 6515 pixels (54.73 MP) 71.1 cm × 55.2 cm @ 300 PPI |
8.0 MB | Restricted |
Low resolution print | 2000 × 1551 pixels (3.1 MP) 16.9 cm × 13.1 cm @ 300 PPI |
1.5 MB | Restricted |
Screen | 1032 × 800 pixels (0.83 MP) 8.7 cm × 6.8 cm @ 300 PPI |
344 KB | Restricted |
Resource ID
10054
Access
Open
Credit Line
Heritage Toronto
Date of Creation
2022
Historical Themes
Black Heritage, Health Care, Military History
Program Category
Historical Plaques
Time Period
1835-1899
Caption
Dr. Alexander Thomas Augusta (1825-1890) Commemorative plaque, 2022.
Description
Dr. Alexander Augusta was one of the first licensed Black physicians in Canada and the highest-ranked Black officer during the American Civil War.
Born in Norfolk, Virginia, Dr. Augusta received his early education in secret when it was illegal to educate Black people in America. He moved to Baltimore, Maryland, in the 1840s and worked as a barber, cutting hair and carrying out minor medical procedures like tooth extractions.
After being excluded from American medical schools, Dr. Augusta was accepted into Toronto’s Trinity College in 1853. While studying, he ran a drugstore and treated those in need. Dr. Augusta fought racism in Canada by opposing a proposed segregated colony on Manitoulin Island and also as president of the Association for the Education and Elevation of the Coloured People of Canada.
He petitioned to be a surgeon in the Union army during the Civil War, and was finally accepted in 1863. While serving, Dr. Augusta stood strong against racist attacks, including when some white soldiers refused to work with him.
After his military service, he became the first Black faculty member at an American medical school, among many other firsts. In 1890, he was the first Black officer buried at Arlington National Cemetery.