Benjamin Banneker was born free. His mother was a free Black woman, and his father was a recently freed enslaved Black Man. There is some debate whether Banneker's father, Robert, was born to a white indentured servant or not, but either way, by the time Benjamin was born, both his parents were free. Banneker was, like many men of his time, highly intelligent and was not only a scientist, inventor, and mathematician, but also a writer. His schooling is murky, but likely ended once he was old enough to work on the family farm. He is generally considered to be self-taught. At the age of 21, he created a wooden clock that struck the hour. As a young man, he was one of the men who helped define the boundaries of the District of Columbia. He also created and published several editions of his own almanac, after several aborted attempts with the first edition. He corresponded with several founding fathers, most notably Thomas Jefferson, who called him a "very respectable mathematician." Much of his later writings were destroyed in a fire after Banneker's death, but his achievements rank him among the greatest men of his time. He is considered one of America's first scientists.
Sources:
- Wikipedia: Benjamin Banneker
- Britannica: Benjamin Banneker
- Biography: Benjamin Banneker
- PBS: Benjamin Banneker
- Library of Congress: Benjamin Banneker
- Smithsonian Magazine: Three Things to Know About Benjamin Banneker's Pioneering Career
- Biography of Benjamin Banneker, Author and Naturalist
- Benjamin Banneker
- Benjamin Banneker Biography
- Benjamin Banneker
- Benjamin Banneker Biography
- Benjamin Banneker
- Benjamin Banneker
- Benjamin Banneker
- Benjamin Banneker
The takeaway from this? If our founding fathers had been less racist, there would be more men considered founding fathers. There would have been less slavery. I wish I could say none, but I have no confidence in humans. They would have found a way, and it would have been just as bad.
No comments:
Post a Comment