Chapters 4-7 Summary and Analysis

Elijah McCoy was born in Canada in 1844. McCoy's parents were slaves who escaped via the Underground Railroad from Kentucky to Ontario. Eventually, the family moved back to the US settling outside Ypsilanti, Michigan. McCoy attended grammar school in Michigan, but it is unknown if he ever finished before moving to Scotland to take a position as an apprentice in mechanical engineering. McCoy had always been gifted when it came to "tinkering" with machines and was almost always successful in repairing them. McCoy's gifts lead to his lifelong work as an engineer. McCoy came back to the US as a certified mechanical engineer. As one might expect, McCoy was confronted with prejudice and found it difficult to be hired as a mechanical engineer. McCoy finally landed a job on the Michigan Central Railroad as a fireman. One of McCoy's duties...