U.S. History: Inventors, Scientists, Artists, and Authors By victor hicken, Ph.D. Copyright 2006 Mark Twain Media, Inc. ISBN 1-58037-334-8 Printing No. CD-404037 Mark Twain Media, Inc., Publishers Distributed by Carson-Dellosa Publishing Company, Inc. Revised/Previously published as American Heroes: Inventors, Scientists, Artists, and Authors The purchase of this book entitles the buyer to reproduce the student pages for classroom use only. Other permissions may be obtained by writing Mark Twain Media, Inc., Publishers. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America.
Table of Contents Table of Contents Introduction... iv What Happened in America Time Line...1...5 Benjamin West... 8 John Singleton Copley...11 John Fitch...14 Benjamin Rush...17 John Trumbull...20 DeWitt Clinton... 23 Washington Irving... 26 John James Audubon... 29 Samuel Finley Breese Morse... 32 Joseph Henry... 35 John Ericsson... 38 Oliver Wendell Holmes...41 Harriet Beecher Stowe... 44 Henry David Thoreau... 47 Elias Howe...50 Christopher Latham Sholes... 53 Cyrus W. Field... 56 James Buchanan Eads... 59 Francis Parkman... 62 Grenville Mellen Dodge... 65 Mark Twain... 68 Thomas Nast... 71 Alexander Graham Bell...74 Thomas Alva Edison...77 Augustus Saint-Gaudens...80 George Eastman...83 Lorado Taft...86 Charles Duryea...89 George Washington Carver...92 Lincoln Steffens...95 Thomas Hunt Morgan...98 ii
Table of Contents Table of Contents (cont.) Paul Dunbar...101 Charles Franklin Kettering...104 George Wesley Bellows...107 Ernest Hemingway... 110 Henry Ford and the Assembly Line... 113 Bibliography/Further Reading...116 Answer Keys...118 iii
1731 1806 has been called the most accomplished African-American in the period generally known as the Federalist Era. Banneker was born in Maryland in 1731 and attended a private school that educated both African-Americans and whites. His parents, some books say, were of mixed racial origins from Dutch Guiana. The family was obviously a free family, for Maryland was a colony in which slavery flourished. Young Benjamin indicated his deep interest in both science and mathematics from the very beginning. The clock that you see on the next page is probably modeled after the one built by Banneker when he was a young man. It must be understood that this was not the first wooden clock by any means, but the fact that a young African-American boy had made it astounded the whites who lived in the Baltimore area. Banneker s abilities attracted the attention of a white Quaker by the name of George Ellicott, a Maryland flour miller. When the Ellicott mills were under construction, Banneker visited the sites frequently and increased his general knowledge of engineering techniques. Ellicott lent the young boy books on science and astronomy, and Banneker soon became so proficient that he was able to predict a solar eclipse with a degree of accuracy. In 1791, Banneker began the publication of a series of almanacs that were both informative and entertaining. There are no pictures of Banneker except a sketch that appears on the front of these almanacs and that is a poor representation indeed. However, contemporaries described him as being a large man with gray hair, who wore clothes made of broadcloth and a hat similar to those worn by Quakers in Benjamin Franklin s time. The first issue of the almanac contained an account written by one of Banneker s friends as a testimony to the scientist s ability. In it is described a portion of Banneker s early life, how hard he studied when he was young, and how determined he was to succeed. The almanacs earned for Banneker the sobriquet of the black Poor Richard. But they also earned something else for the author, and that was the respect of a man of influence. Secretary of War James McHenry of President Adams administration not only distributed copies of the almanac but gained important connections for Banneker in society. Banneker even sent a copy of the almanac to Thomas Jefferson, who in turn sent it to the Academy of Sciences in Paris. As a result of his labors, Banneker received an important commission to set the boundaries of the District of Columbia and to lay out definitions of its streets. In this he worked with Major Pierre L Enfant, the major designer for the national capital. Banneker continued to publish his almanacs, although in the 1790s, he became vitally concerned with the prospects of peace between this country and France. It was somewhat natural for him to have aligned himself with the Jeffersonian Republicans, and so for some time, he made his almanac a sort of anti-military publication. Banneker had now passed the peak of his activity, but he made major contributions in the area of anti-slavery. He fought the institution of slavery, as it was called, until his death in 1806. 5
(cont.) TIME LINE 1731 BANNEKER WORKS ON CLOCKS BANNEKER S ALMANAC 1790 1806 1750 Questions for Research HELPED LAY OUT WASHINGTON, D.C. 1. Research s parents. Were they educated? 2. When were the first clocks made? Were they made of metal or wood? 3. It is wrong to assume that invented the clock. What was the level of scientific research in Banneker s time? Could navigators sight the stars and the sun? Why, then, is Banneker considered an unusual man? NATIONAL STANDARDS CORRELATIONS NCSS Ic: (Culture) Explain and give examples of how language, literature, the arts, architecture, other artifacts, traditions, belief, values, and behaviors contribute to the development and transmission of culture. NSH Era 3, Standard 3: The institutions and practices of government created during the Revolution and how they were revised between 1787 and 1815 to create the foundation of American political system based on the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights WEBSITES http://www.jmu.edu/madison/center/main_pages/madison_archives/era/african/free/banneker/bio.htm : A Brief Biography, James Madison University http://dbs.ohiohistory.org/africanam/page1.cfm?itemid=14095¤t=02_03a Cleveland Gazette:, Ohio Historical Society http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/nov09.html Today in History: November 9, The Library of Congress 6
Name: Date: (cont.) HISTORICAL FACTS 1. has been called the in the period generally known as the Federalist Era. 2. The family was obviously a(n) family, for Maryland was a colony in which slavery flourished. 3. Young Benjamin indicated his deep interest in both and from the very beginning. 4. Banneker s abilities attracted the attention of a white Quaker,, who took him under his wing and provided him more educational opportunities. 5. In 1791, Banneker began a series of, which were both informative and entertaining. 6. These booklets earned for Banneker the sobriquet of. 7. Secretary of War, of President Adams administration, distributed copies of the almanac and introduced Banneker to many important people. 8. Banneker sent a copy of the almanac to, who in turn sent it to the Academy of Sciences in Paris. 9. He received a commission to work with to set the boundaries of the District of Columbia and to lay out the definitions of the streets. 10. In the 1790s, he became vitally concerned with the prospects of peace between this country and. 11. He became aligned with, and so, for some time, he made his almanac a sort of anti-military publication. 12. Banneker fought the institution of, as it was called, until his death in 1806. 7