What do we learn about Andrew Ellicott in this chapter? What role did he play in the formation of the new capital?
Andrew Ellicott was selected by President George Washington to survey the Federal District which is now DC. He was 38 year old at the time and also one of the most famous men in America. He was an experienced surveyor that had completed the survey of the Mason Dixon line, the Niagara river and the Great Falls. He also was apart of the Maryland militia during the revolutionary war he was a veteran, a self taught scientist and overall a uniquely talented American. Major Ellicott is basically responsible for the diamond shape and outline of this young nation's new capitol.
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I agree with Allen, Andrew Ellicott came from a Quaker family who settled in Maryland. This influence lead Ellicott to focus on other things such as learning new things and race was of no importance. Which lead to his friendship with Benjamin Banneker, an intelligent African American man with a fascination of machinery and the sky. Banneker became Ellicots helper in surveying the land of the Potomac. Ellicots role in the formation of the capital was to survey the land, so that the final sketches of the nations capital can be made. Ellicots surveys help figure out physically where the capital would be located.
As President George Washington states, Andrew Ellicott was a "man of uncommon talents". Mostly because of his prestige, with now historical work experiences under his belt, Ellicott's resume included the surveying of the Mason-Dixon line and possibly Niagra Falls. He preferred to be referred to as major, his rank in the Maryland militia. Ellicott took Benjamin Banneker under his wing as an assistant. His work for Ellicott included pointing a telescope through a hole in his tent to take new readings of the stars. Ellicott built a warm friendship with Banneker during a time when most blacks in America dealt with the cruelty of slavery. Ellicott’s decision to welcome Banneker into his circle and actually show respect for him shows his “cocky independence of mind”. Ellicott left farther home than he had ever been to complete his job on the capital. This included the overseeing of “every aspect of the continuing fieldwork”. He arrived at the field-camp before dawn every morning, frequently skipping dinner before riding miles back to his residence in Georgetown. He suffered from influenza but his determination would not stop him from completing the hard task set before him. He made precise measurements , marking out the ground with a chain and carrying the line in different directions. After the lines had been drawn, Ellicott instructed his team to chop away timber and brush, chop down trees, and remove the logs with oxen and mules. His team consisted of slaves. Even though Ellicott was unfriendly to slavery, free workers were hard to find in the area. Ellicott relied on Bannekers “exceptionally precise’ measurements to help plot the boundaries without error.
I love Andrew Ellicott character. Ellicott played in a role in the new capital by doing surveys for the new capital and he worked along Pierre L'Enfant. Unlike the famous L'Enfant, Ellicott was not a control freak like him. Ellicott worked hard although he was over worked and not being paid. But he worked hard on finishing out the surveys for the new city. After L'Enfant was fired by Washington for conflicts Ellicott was in charged of the design for DC. Since Ellicott didn't had the original map of L'Enfant so he had to create a new map with from memories.
So what would have happen if Andrew Ellicott was a perfectionist like Pierre L'Enfant ?
Andrew Ellicott worked with my favorite character in the reading. He worked with Bannaker and was in charge of doing surveys of the land. Ellicott was important because he was also in charge of telling George Washington the land that could be sold. Without Ellicott the Federal city could not have been built because he had to make a map of Washington DC. He was unpayed and took over L'Enfant's job to create a map of the city with the buildings for Washington. Andrew Ellicott's reputation was at stake as well as Washington so creating this map of the city could make him or break him.