answersLogoWhite

0

None, really. Although he was an African American in a society that still had large-scale slavery and racial discrimination, he grew up and continued to live in Maryland amongst Quakers who believed in racial equality. In his life he rarely encountered racial discrimination or prjudice, but on the contrary was befriended and admired by many ordinary and prominent white Americans. Friends helped him to study and become an astronomist and surveyor. He got important commissions, was editor of a commercially succesful almanac, and corresponded with several important figures of the time like Thomas Jefferson.

After his death stories and legend started to form that sometimes exaggerate his achievements, and sometimes exaggerate the racial prejudice he was supposed to have overcome. The real story however is one of a succesful life without too many out-of-the-ordinary obstacles.

User Avatar

Wiki User

11y ago

What else can I help you with?