Early Back Astronomer !

[nebsen]

www.biography.com/people/benjamin-banneker-9198038#early-years

just found out about this fascinating Black Man, Benjamin Banneker . who was born in Baltimore Maryland in 1731 a free Black man who was an Astronomer, mathematician, & Surveyor. He was an auto didactic & very brilliant . He published an Almanac & corresponded with Thomas Jefferson. I really enjoy finding Black people in history that I never knew of ; read for yourself about this brother amazing life story.

[anansi]

Feb 4, 2016 16:35:51 GMT -5 nebsen said:

www.biography.com/people/benjamin-banneker-9198038#early-years

just found out about this fascinating Black Man, Benjamin Banneker . who was born in Baltimore Maryland in 1731 a free Black man who was an Astronomer, mathematician, & Surveyor. He was an auto didactic & very brilliant . He published an Almanac & corresponded with Thomas Jefferson. I really enjoy finding Black people in history that I never knew of ; read for yourself about this brother amazing life story.

It took it for granted that most folks here new of Benjamin Banneker

Benjamin Banneker was a largely self-educated mathematician, astronomer, compiler of almanacs and writer.
IN THESE GROUPS

FAMOUS PEOPLE IN JOURNALISM & NONFICTION
FAMOUS ASTRONOMERS
FAMOUS PEOPLE BORN ON NOVEMBER 9
FAMOUS PEOPLE BORN IN MARYLAND
Show All Groups
QUOTES
“The colour of the skin is in no way connected with strength of the mind or intellectual powers.”
—Benjamin Banneker
Synopsis

Benjamin Banneker was born on November 9, 1731, in Ellicott's Mills, Maryland. A free black man who owned a farm near Baltimore, Banneker was largely self-educated in astronomy and mathematics. He was later called upon to assist in the surveying of territory for the construction of the nation's capital. He also became an active writer of almanacs and exchanged letters with Thomas Jefferson, politely challenging him to do what he could to ensure racial equality. Banneker died on October 9, 1806.

Just goes to show how easily one can by passed known figures thanks for the link Nebsen.

[nebsen]

For some odd reason Benjamin Banneker was not ingrained in my mind. In thinking about this, I do remember folks in the past saying you know a Black man designed Washington DC. Historical Black figures such as Benjamin Banneker seems to get sidelined although I have seen his stamp. We tend to lionize Black Athletes , Entertainers, Civil Rights leaders,etc. but Black people of the mind, not so much. I have never seen a documentary on Benjamin Banneker that's not to say one has not been done. I guess the word " Astronomer" stood out for me about him since I'm still reading the book" African Cosmos". I found this little video on him on You Tube, there are some others , but I liked the way Stephanie Kvamme included saying & quotes by Benjamin Banneker including the graphics she included.

[anansi]

He was neither a statesman nor warrior but he lived in a time of giants, among his contemporaries were Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and the top brain of the day Benjamin Franklin, his accomplishments and life was remarkable enough ,but it was even more so given the family he was born into.

Background and Early Years

Born on November 9, 1731, in Ellicott's Mills, Maryland, Benjamin Banneker was the son of an ex-slave named Robert and his wife, Mary Banneky. Mary was the daughter of an Englishwoman named Molly Welsh, a former indentured servant, and her husband, Bannka, an ex-slave whom she freed and who asserted that he came from tribal royalty in West Africa.

Because both of his parents were free, Benjamin escaped the wrath of slavery as well. He was taught to read by his maternal grandmother and for a very short time attended a small Quaker school. Banneker was primarily self-educated, a fact that did little to diminish his brilliance. His early accomplishments included constructing an irrigation system for the family farm and a wooden clock that was reputed to keep accurate time and ran for more than 50 years until his death. In addition, Banneker taught himself astronomy and accurately forecasted lunar and solar eclipses. After his father's passing, he ran his own farm for years, cultivating a business selling tobacco via crops.

So coming from low born parents of slaves Black and White ,who despite their disadvantage non the less pulled together to what would amount to being lower middle class of their day and raised four children one being very remarkable , how ever his on his African side he may have been the grandson of a King, his father Benneka apparently made this claim.

Banneka” is what he called himself. He was the eldest son of a king, “Captured in an enemy raid and sold to slave traders. (Some scholars believe that his given name was Banne and that Ka was a family name.


Banneker and the star Sirius
It is worth noting his interest in astronomy was the ethnic group his father belonged , many would recognized them as the Dogon yes those very famous stargazers from Mali or North Eastern Guinea.

Benjamin Banneker reportedly said Sirius was both his favorite star and his lucky star, called it a double star many years before professional scientists of the advanced world confirmed that fact.

This knowledge he could have gotten from his father,which helped propelled his interest.

[anansi]

Apparently Banneker helped surveyed the site on which the Capitol was to be built.

While there is no doubt L’Enfant designed the capital, it could never have been built without an Benjamin Banneker, whose brilliant mind saved Washington, D.C. When the President fired the architect and the plans left town tucked under his arm, L’Enfant left something behind, not on paper but in the mind of a certain surveyor.

Benjamin Banneker, from Brookhaven National Laboratory at bnl.gov.
Benjamin Banneker and Major Andrew Ellicott must both be credited with saving the capital. Banneker, an African-American mathematician and astronomer, had been engaged by Ellicott to help survey the federal territory during the time Ellicott was working closely with L’Enfant. Banneker was able to reproduce the complete layout – streets, parks, major buildings. But others say the story about reconstructing from memory may not be entirely Banneker’s achievement, citing Andrew and Benjamin Ellicott who told Secretary of State Jefferson and President Washington they could reproduce the plan in enough detail to make something suitable for engraving. Whichever side of the controversy you’re on, there is much to be said for sharing designs with a core team.
blogs.umb.edu...

Popular Almanacs

Banneker's true acclaim, however, came from his almanacs, which he published for six consecutive years during the later years of his life, between 1792 and 1797. These handbooks included his own astronomical calculations as well as opinion pieces, literature and medical and tidal information, with the latter particularly useful to fishermen. Outside of his almanacs, Banneker also published information on bees and calculated the cycle of the 17-year locust.


Correspondences with Jefferson :

Letter to Jefferson

Benjamin Banneker's accomplishments extended into other realms as well, including civil rights. In 1791, Thomas Jefferson was secretary of state and Banneker considered the respected Virginian, though a slaveholder, to also be open to viewing African Americans as more than slaves. Thus, he wrote Jefferson a letter hoping that he would “readily embrace every opportunity to eradicate that train of absurd and false ideas and opinions which so generally prevail with respect to us." To further support his point, Banneker included a handwritten manuscript of an almanac for 1792, containing his astronomical calculations.

In his letter, Banneker acknowledged he was “of the African race” and a free man. He recognized that he was taking “a liberty” writing to Jefferson, which would be unacceptable considering “the almost general prejudice and prepossession which is so prevalent in the world against those of my complexion.” Banneker then respectfully chided Jefferson and other patriots for their hypocrisy, enslaving people like him while fighting the British for their own independence.



letter from Jefferson to Banneker dated August 30, 1791 from the Library of Congress:

I thank you sincerely for your letter of the 19th. instant and for the Almanac it contained. no body wishes more than I do to see such proofs as you exhibit, that nature has given to our black brethren, talents equal to those of the other colours of men, & that the appearance of a want of them is owing merely to the degraded condition of their existence both in Africa & America. I can add with truth that no body wishes more ardently to see a good system commenced for raising the condition both of their body & mind to what it ought to be, as fast as the imbecillity of their present existence, and other circumstance which cannot be neglected, will admit. I have taken the liberty of sending your almanac to Monsieur de Condorcet, Secretary of the Academy of sciences at Paris, and member of the Philanthropic society because I considered it as a document to which your whole colour had a right for their justification against the doubts which have been entertained of them. I am with great esteem, Sir, Your most obedt. humble servt. Th. Jefferson
http://www.biography.com...-to-jefferson

[nebsen]

Here is a wonderful video called Masters Of Invention, with Benjamin Banneker being the first on the list. Again I wonder if these black people who invented great things are again sidelined one, by the dominate white culture & two by those of us in the Black diaspora who have not been exposed to these wonderful Black folks because many just don't know about them ; do to schools at all levels not including them in text books etc. How many schools around the country are named after these Black inventors? I have a theory that the white dominate culture just don't want this information out about Black people of the mind, it is if they want to keep the masses of people believing in the stereotypical low intelligence, over emotional, dancing, & singing, happy go lucky " Negro" narrative.