Benjamin Banneker was born in Ellicott’s Mills, Maryland, in 1731. Both of his parents were free African Americans, so he never faced the evils of slavery. His grandmother taught him to read. Other than attending a Quaker School for a short amount of time, he was largely self-educated.
He taught himself mathematics and astronomy. He made his living as a farmer but had talent in several other areas. Early on, he designed and constructed an irrigation system for his farm. When he was 21, he constructed a wooden clock using a pocket watch as his model. It kept accurate time for over 50 years.
Benjamin was befriended by the Ellicott family, and they provided access to their library. This was where he learned more about astronomy to predict the timing of the solar eclipse.
One of the Ellicotts hired Benjamin to assist him in surveying the land that became the nation’s capital. An illness limited his continued participation in the survey.
In the later years of his life, Benjamin began publishing almanacs with tidal information, opinion pieces, astronomical information, and literature. His almanacs also featured information on nature.
Benjamin was an abolitionist. Through his efforts, he was known to both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. He was able to chide Thomas Jefferson about his owning of slaves, and the contradictions that arose from his support for American independence. Jefferson received Benjamin’s criticism positively.
Benjamin died just short of his 75th birthday. During his funeral, his home was destroyed by fire. As a result, little of his life history remains to this day.
When the U.S. Postal Service issued stamps in 1980 in the Black Heritage Series, Benjamin was one of those featured. He is probably the least known of all those selected for the stamps.
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“The color of the skin is in no way connected with strength
of the mind or intellectual powers.” –Benjamin Banneker