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Benjamin Banneker

In 1792, when it seemed as if work on the United States of America's new capital city was about to come to a grinding halt, Benjamin Banneker came to the rescue. The French
architect who had been in charge of planning the city, Pierre L'Enfant, was fired because of his hotheaded behavior. He immediately left the country and returned to France, taking with him all the plans for the city of Washington.

President George Washington and Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson were distressed. Would they have to start all over, having a year's worth of work go to waste? Perhaps not. Noted surveyor Benjamin Banneker had been working closely with L'Enfant and Chief Surveyor Andrew Ellicott. Banneker thought he might be able to redraw all the plans— from memory! Two days later he delivered the plans, and construction proceeded without significant delay. Today the city of Washington, D.C., stands as a reminder of
Banneker's genius.

Who was this individual who gave us our elegant capital? Benjamin Banneker was born in the colony of Maryland in 1731. On his mother's side, he was the grandson of a woman from England and an enslaved man from Africa. His mother, Mary, a free woman, married an enslaved man named Robert. Since Benjamin's mother was free, he was born into freedom.

When Benjamin was twelve, he began attending a school near his family's farm. There he became interested in
mathematics. He was so good at the subject that soon he knew more than his teacher!

One day, when Banneker was a teenager, he saw something that caught hold of his imagination and wouldn't let go. It was a pocket watch, something totally new to him. The watch belonged to a man named Joseph Levi. When Levi saw how the watch fascinated the young man, he told him he
could keep it. Banneker's fascination with the watch went beyond simply admiring its function. He wanted to discover how it worked so he could make his own timepiece! By taking the watch apart and examining its works, and then reading a few books, Banneker was able to draw up plans for a large clock. That clock took him two years to construct; he carved all the pieces out of wood. It was probably the first clock built entirely in America. Banneker's timepiece was a sensation: people came from far away to see it. The clock kept near-perfect time for decades to come.

After finishing his clock, Banneker continued his studies. He was given a telescope and some books on astronomy, and he used these to learn about the stars and planets. Putting to use
his new knowledge of astronomy and his skills in mathematics, Banneker successfully predicted a solar eclipse in 1789. Three years later he published the first of ten almanacs. His almanacs predicted when eclipses would occur, when the sun would rise and set each day, what the weather would be like, and more. These books also included writings by Banneker and others. They became quite popular with the American public.

Benjamin Banneker was an outspoken opponent of slavery. He printed writings against slavery in his almanacs. He even sent a copy of his almanac along with a letter arguing against slavery to Thomas Jefferson, who was then secretary of state and a slave owner. Jefferson was impressed with Banneker's
talent. He and many others saw Banneker as proof that intelligence and ability were not linked to the color of a person's skin.

Today we remember Banneker for many different reasons. His great mind saved the plans for our nation's capital. He wrote practical books as well as passionate appeals for equality. At a time when many Americans believed otherwise, he showed that people of all races and backgrounds possess great minds. Benjamin Banneker was truly an early American Hero.

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