Benjamin Banneker: Shattering Prejudice

Lia Martinez

Challenge B

October 24, 2019

Nearly one hundred thirty-two years before the Emancipation Proclamation was enacted by President Abraham Lincoln, there was a African American boy who would shatter the prejudices and preconceived notions of the time; his name was Benjamin Banneker. Benjamin, who was born to two freed slaves on the 9th of November in 1731 on a farm in Baltimore which he eventually inherited, is remembered both as an advocate for the civil rights movement and a self-taught great-mind in the fields of astronomy, mathematics, engineering, and the natural world. As a child he briefly attended a one-room Quaker school but his limited formal education didn’t stop him from expanding his knowledge. His thirst for information was quenched by the many books he read and subjects he taught himself; which not only helped him academically, but also aided the agricultural development of the Banneker family farm later in life.

Benjamin Banneker, in addition to influencing many practical fields of study, demonstrated a strong bond between races through his friendship with Thomas Jefferson, whom he started exchanging letters with on various subjects. He proved that “The colour of the skin is in no way connected with strength of the mind or intellectual power.” These words by Benjamin Banneker epitomized his conviction on the subject of race and he continued to fight for these beliefs until his death in 1806. 

In 1788 Benjamin became fascinated with astronomy and decided to expand his knowledge on the matter. He penned the connections he discovered between his studies in mathematics, astronomy, and the natural world; these writings were later compiled and became his famous almanacs which helped farmers and people alike benefitted from his accurate prediction of weather and locust patterns, lunar and solar eclipses, and tide and planting tables.

When Banneker was only twenty years old he accomplished something historic; he invented an accurate wooden clock, the first one in America! People came from all around to see this wonderous new device. When he was older he used his strength in mathematics to map new land, but being able to receive a job as a surveyor wasn’t the only benefit of gaining this skill. In 1791 he was scouted by a man named Andrew Ellicott, who was not only a businessman but the U.S. Surveyor General. Andrew invited Banneker to help in the layout of the budding nation's new capital, Washington D.C., a role which he gladly accepted. 

He then turned his attention to farming and agriculture on the Banneker family farm where he made a few discoveries which increased the yield of the harvest and financially benefited their bottom line. After many years of writing his almanacs he decided to write to Thomas Jefferson, who was the Secretary of State at the time, and accompanying that letter was his almanac. Jefferson wrote back in praise of Banneker and the two kept up their correspondence until Benjamins death in 1806. Benjamin Banneker, the self taught African-American agriculturalist, almanac author, farmer, surveyor, engineer, and naturalist, was laid to rest in Oella, Maryland. It was after years of hard work and devotion towards studying and bettering himself that Banneker in his own way left a lasting impact and a valuable contribution to the great fight for equality that would, years later, be legally afforded to all.