Occupation: inventor, astronomer
Unlike many African Americans at the time, Benjamin Banneker was not born into slavery. The maternal side of his family determined this fate. His grandmother, Mary Walsh, was a white Englishwoman who was sentenced to seven years of indentured servitude in America for stealing milk. After her servitude ended, she bought some land and two African slaves. She married one of them. His name was Bannaky, and they had many children, one of whom was named Mary. Like her mother, when Mary married, she bought a slave and married him. Mary and Robert had several children, including Benjamin Banneker. Banneker was born on November 9, 1731, just outside of Baltimore, Maryland.
Benjamin Banneker Shows Aptitude in Math
Banneker's education began early on. Banneker and his siblings were taught to read by their grandmother, Molly, who used the Bible as a lesson book. When Banneker was twelve, a Quaker named Peter Heinrich moved next to the Banneker farm. He established a school for boys, which Banneker attended. He excelled in mathematics, and even progressed beyond the ability of his teacher.When Banneker was twenty-one, his abilities were finally utilized. He met a man named Josef Levi who showed him a pocket watch. Banneker was so fascinated that Levi gave him the watch. He studied how it worked, drew a picture of it, and made mathematical calculations for the parts. He worked on building the clock for two years. In 1753, he finally completed it. It was made of wood and its gears were carved by hand. This was the first clock built in the United States. For more than forty years, the clock struck every hour.
Banneker the Astronomer
In addition to creating America's first clock, Banneker had an interest in astronomy. When Banneker's friend Andrew Ellicott died, he left him books on astronomy, scientific instruments, and a telescope. Banneker began to study astronomy and made mathematical calculations of the stars and constellations. He used these calculations to predict a solar eclipse that took place on April 14, 1789.
Banneker’s Almanac Challenges Stereotypes
His abilities in astronomy and mathematics led him to create an almanac in 1792. In addition to making all the calculations himself, it included information about the time of eclipses, weather forecasts, the hours of sunrise and sunset, festival days, holidays, and much more. It became a popular resource for Americans throughout the Middle States, and received fame in England and France. He published it for ten years.The publication of his almanac had special significance other than being just a useful resource. It challenged the popular belief of the time that African Americans were intellectually inferior to whites. In the preface of Banneker's 1796 almanac, the white editor issued this statement:
“The labours of the justly celebrated Banneker will likewise furnish you with a very important lesson, Courteous Reader, which you will not find in any other almanac, namely, that the Maker of the Universe is no respector of colours; that the colour of the skin is no way connected with the strength of mind or intellectual powers; that although the God of Nature has marked the face of the African with a darker hue than his brethren, He has given him a soul equally capable of refinement.”
Banneker's almanac served as a contradiction to the widely held belief that blacks were inferior. Banneker was not quiet about this contradiction. He was a social critic of slavery. In an attempt to promote change, he sent a copy of his first Almanac to Thomas Jefferson, who at the time was Secretary of State under President Washington. He enclosed a letter about the inconsistency of Jefferson's position about the equality of all men, while at the same time owning slaves. Jefferson replied eleven days later, and this was just the beginning of a long correspondence on the issue of slavery and the intellectual ability of blacks.
Banneker Helps Build Washington, D.C.
When President Washington decided to move the capital to Washington, D.C., he appointed Pierre Charles L'Enfant to build it. L'Enfant's plans consisted of the creation of boundaries and the layout of the streets and buildings. Upon Jefferson's request, Banneker was appointed as a member of the team. Things fell apart shortly after the planning began when the temperamental L'Enfant resigned and took the original plans with him.This, however, is when the rest of the story becomes unclear. It has been told that Banneker, having seen the plans once, recreated the plans from memory. According to Charles A. Cerami, Banneker’s biographer, even though L’Enfant refused to provide the original and Banneker did have a photographic memory, historical documents suggest that a substitute plan was used. This substitute plan was a compilation of separate renditions or drafts of the original plan. Nevertheless, although Banneker may not have created the plans from memory, as an assistant surveyor he certainly had a part in the building of Washington, D.C.
Banneker Enjoys Retirement
In his retirement years, Banneker spent the remainder of his life on his farm. By this time, he had gained the respect and admiration of many. He was so well known that guests from all over the world came to visit him. He died on October 25, 1806.
