2008 Woodie Awards
Black History Month
Benjamin Banneker (1731-1806)
Jeffrey Sawyer
Issue date: 2/8/08 Section: Headlines
Benjamin Banneker was born a free man on Nov. 9, 1731. Banneker was a farmer of modest means and is considered to be one of the first African-American scientists and inventors.
Banneker received a formal education only through the eighth grade from a nearby Quaker school. He completed his formal education by the age of 15 and took over the family farm.
In his younger years, he became known for making precise clocks. This led to his friendship with industrialist Joseph Ellicott. It was through this relationship that the world of astronomy and advanced mathematics became known to Banneker. Later in life, he devoted a lot of time to teaching himself astronomy. He successfully predicted the solar eclipse that took place on April 14, 1789 and contradicted the forecasts of other expert mathematicians and astronomers of the day.
When Banneker was 60 years old he was appointed by then-President George Washington to a small team of surveyors to survey the future District of Columbia. A local newspaper wrote that Banneker was "an Ethiopian whose abilities as surveyor and astronomer already prove that Mr. [Thomas] Jefferson's concluding that that race of men were void of mental endowment was without foundation." Banneker was instrumental in the early days of this country at breaking down racial prejudices.
Banneker was widely known for his Farmer's Almanacs that were published between 1792 and 1797.The almanacs covered various types of information such as medical treatment, tide tables, astronomical information and eclipses which were all calculated by the largely self-taught Banneker.
In late 1791, Banneker sent a copy of his first almanac and a letter to then-Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson. In the letter he questioned Jefferson's claim to be a "friend of liberty" and urged him to end the "State of tyrannical thraldom, and inhuman captivity, to which too many of my brethren are doomed." Jefferson responded by praising Banneker's work.
Banneker spent most of the latter years of his life fighting for equality for all. In his 1792 almanac Banneker put forth the idea of a Department of Peace to be added to the Federal Government in order to balance out the Department of War with hopes of decreasing national and international conflict. •
Banneker received a formal education only through the eighth grade from a nearby Quaker school. He completed his formal education by the age of 15 and took over the family farm.
In his younger years, he became known for making precise clocks. This led to his friendship with industrialist Joseph Ellicott. It was through this relationship that the world of astronomy and advanced mathematics became known to Banneker. Later in life, he devoted a lot of time to teaching himself astronomy. He successfully predicted the solar eclipse that took place on April 14, 1789 and contradicted the forecasts of other expert mathematicians and astronomers of the day.
When Banneker was 60 years old he was appointed by then-President George Washington to a small team of surveyors to survey the future District of Columbia. A local newspaper wrote that Banneker was "an Ethiopian whose abilities as surveyor and astronomer already prove that Mr. [Thomas] Jefferson's concluding that that race of men were void of mental endowment was without foundation." Banneker was instrumental in the early days of this country at breaking down racial prejudices.
Banneker was widely known for his Farmer's Almanacs that were published between 1792 and 1797.The almanacs covered various types of information such as medical treatment, tide tables, astronomical information and eclipses which were all calculated by the largely self-taught Banneker.
In late 1791, Banneker sent a copy of his first almanac and a letter to then-Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson. In the letter he questioned Jefferson's claim to be a "friend of liberty" and urged him to end the "State of tyrannical thraldom, and inhuman captivity, to which too many of my brethren are doomed." Jefferson responded by praising Banneker's work.
Banneker spent most of the latter years of his life fighting for equality for all. In his 1792 almanac Banneker put forth the idea of a Department of Peace to be added to the Federal Government in order to balance out the Department of War with hopes of decreasing national and international conflict. •
Be the first to comment on this story