Benjamin Banneker
Benjamin Banneker was born in Baltimore in 1731 the son of slave even
though his grandfather had been a member of a royal family in Africa. Banneker's
father was also wise in agriculture matters. He was not allowed to go to any of the
regular schools but he was allowed to go to a school run by Quakers. He excelled in
his studies, especially in mathematics. He became so proficient in math that his
progress was faster than his teacher could keep up with. He would often make up his
own math problems in order to solve them himself.
When he was young, he became fascinated with a watch owned by Josef
Levi. Levi saw how engulfed Banneker was in the workings of the watch that he gave
it to him and explained how it worked. Over the next few days, Banneker repeatedly
took the watch apart and put it back together. Banneker began to study geometry and
the laws of motion by Isaac Newton and he began to make plans to build a larger version of
the watch. After two years of work designing the clock, carving all of the intricate
pieces (including the gears) from wood by hand, Banneker had successfully created the
first clock ever built in the United States. The clock was so well built that it
kept perfect time for thirty years. Below is a picture of Bannaker's clock.
Another of Banneker's accomplishments was the publishing of an almanac.
Banneker became interested in astronomy after a family friend died and left him a
book on astronomy, a telescope and other scientific inventions. After studying for
some time, he was able to correctly predict such events as solar eclipses, sunrises, and
sunsets. In 1792, he published his almanac which included predictions of the weather
and seasonal changes. His almanac included tips on when and which types of crops
farmers should plant. Many of his conclusions were as a direct result from the
information he received from his grandfather. The almanac also included medical
remedies.
Banneker sent a copy of his almanac to then Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson, along
with a twelve page letter on how unfair it was that Blacks were not accorded the same
rights as other men refereed to in the Declaration of Independence. He hoped that
his almanac would be an example of the intellectual and mental capacities of Blacks.
He and Jefferson continued to correspond for two years which led to a very important job.
President
George Washington decided to move our nation's capital from Philadelphia to an area on
the border of Maryland and Virginia. A Frenchman named L'Enfant was hired by Washington to
design plans for the capital. At the request of Thomas Jefferson, Washington hired
Banneker to serve on the planning committee. One day, after a heated argument,
L'Enfant walk off the job taking the plans for the capital with him. Banneker was
able to reproduce totally from memory in two days all of the plans for the capital.
His plans included a complete layout of all the streets, parks, and
buildings that were in the original plans. Needless to say, Washington D. C.
would not be as it is today had it not been for Benjamin Banneker and his eye for detail.
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African-American Inventors 
