Final answer:
The first American asylum for the deaf, the American School for the Deaf, was established in 1817 by Dr. Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet in Hartford, Connecticut.
Step-by-step explanation:
The first American asylum for the deaf, known as the American School for the Deaf, was founded by Dr. Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet in Hartford, Connecticut, in the year 1817. This institution represented a new direction in the education of those with hearing impairments. A bronze memorial statue of Dr. Gallaudet, which is located in Washington D.C., depicts him using sign language to communicate with his student Alice Cogswell, emphasizing the innovative educational methods he introduced.