African American inventors had very few rights to their inventions. From the early 1800s through the late 1900s many African Americans lost or never gained legal rights to their inventions. Those who were fortunate enough to obtain patents for invention were rarely recognized; those who were slaves automatically lost rights towards their masters. Garrett Morgan was an African-American inventor born to Sydney Morgan and Elizabeth (Reed) Morgan on March 4, 1877 in Paris, Kentucky. During childhood, Morgan worked on the family farm while attending school. Faced with difficult circumstances related to school, he sought to overcome those adversities and went on to achieve and establish a career as a businessman and inventor. Maya Angelou once wrote, “It's not the answer you seek that makes you strong. It is the {paths} you take that define who you are and what you can do.” Garrett Morgan spent his childhood working on the family farm with his brothers and attending school (inventors). Like many African American males, there were...