Benjamin Banker and the Survey of District of Colombia, 1791

Course Summary:

In this PDH or CE course the attendee learns about Benjamin Banker and his contributions to the surveying of District of Colombia. The name of Benjamin Banneker, the Afro- American self-taught mathematician and almanac-maker, occurs again and again in the several published accounts of the survey of Washington City begin in 1791, but with conflicting reports of the role which he played.

Writers have implied a wide range of involvement, from the keeper of the horses or supervisor of the woodcutters, to the full responsibility of not only the survey of the ten-mile square but the design of the city as well. None of these accounts has described contribution which Banneker actually made. He was, in fact, the scientific assistant of the surveyor, Major Andrew Ellicott, and his work was limited to making astronomical observations and calculations with Ellicott’s instruments maintained in the field camp, for the period of the first three months of the project.

Learning Objective:

The learning objective of this PDH or CE course is to learn more about the history of surveying is District of Columbia and the contributions of Benjamin Banker and other individuals who helped shape the original surveying done on the city.
Review the quiz before studying the course.

Course Content

Course Author: Franco F. Davati, P.E.