The Sole Man

In 1873, Jan Ernst Matzeliger immigrated to America with dreams of a bright future. Though he was highly skilled with tools and machinery, no one wanted to hire a Black immigrant who didn't speak English. Jan finally got a job at a shoe factory and learned the process of shoemaking. He envisioned a new machine, a lasting machine, that would help produce more shoes more efficiently. People scoffed at Jan's idea, but he wasn't deterred. Despite many obstacles, after years of experimenting, Jan demonstrated his lasting machine. And his invention changed the shoe industry forever. In 1873, at the age of 21, Jan Ernst Matzeliger immigrated to America, having left all that was familiar behind in South America. He arrived with hopes and dreams of a bright future in this new country. Though Jan had no formal training, he was highly skillful with tools and machinery, having worked in his father's mechanic shops. But no one wanted to hire a Black immigrant who didn't speak English