An American Pioneer
His abilities in astronomy and mathematics led him to create an almanac in 1792. In it, he made all the calculations himself and 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 in which he wrote about the inconsistency of Jefferson's position on 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.
Among Banneker's talents was a remarkable memory. When President Washington decided to move the capital to Washington, 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 L'Enfant resigned, left for France, and took all the plans and maps with him. To everyone's amazement, Banneker recreated the plans from memory within two days. The capital would not be the same if it were not for Banneker's memory.
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.
