By Lateef Hodge
Not all history of African Americans is about slavery…………………..Read this.
The African American inventor Benjamin Banneker was renowned for his genius and his contributions to society as a whole.
Benjamin Banneker was born in Ellicott’s Mills, Maryland in 1731. At a very young age he was allowed to enroll into a school system that was hosted by another immigrant group called the Quakers. The education that he gained in school and the oral tradition of agricultural sciences that was passed down from his Grandfather (who was royalty in Africa) gave Mr. Banneker the foundation to become the prolific genius the world came to know.
After receiving a watch as a gift, Mr. Banneker studied its operation passionately and with some self taught study in Geometry and Newton’s law of Motion, built the first clock in the United States. This clock maintained the correct time for the next seventeen years. Furthermore, with his knowledge of agriculture, Mr. Banneker contributed to the “Revolutionary War”, by growing wheat for the soldiers in an area where previous farming attempts had failed miserably by others.
Mr. Banneker, continuous dedication to learning, led him to the field of astronomy. His process of learning came from an astronomy book, telescope, and other tools that were left, after a friend of the family had passed. From there he began to predict accurate astrological events, including a solar eclipse in 1789. He published his first almanac, which was called the “Farmer’s Almanac” in 1792. This gave birth to Mr. Banneker civil rights activism, when he sent a copy of his almanac to the Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson. In this submission, he argues that mental intellect could not be based upon race and urged Thomas Jefferson to help take a stand against this belief. Thomas Jefferson recognizing his genius, appointed him to a committee that was to design the layout of what would become Washington D.C. As member of this committee, he began to study the original drafts of Major Pierre L’Enfant. Eventually the French designer left the committee due to mistreatment that he received for being a foreigner. Mr. Banneker took over the project and recreated the entire draft plans from memory, since they were taken by Major Pierre L’Enfant.
Benjamin Banneker died October 25, 1806
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”There’s nothing Impossible to a willing mind”- The Books of Han Dynasty
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