Archeologist and Architect

Benjamin Baniker is the man responsible for much of Washington DC’s original architecture. His accomplishments defy many historians because he had a deep understanding of both astrology and architecture and he incorporated both in his designs of the city. The confusion results from the fact that he was of African decent in America during the construction of the original colonies. At that time America was getting started in the African slave trade, and historians today claim America’s black population results from Africans brought over during the slave trade. How could an educated African man be influential in building the capital of America if he arrived as a slave?