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Benjamin Banneker - College Essays

Benjamin Banneker

Benjamin Banneker

Benjamin Banneker was born on November 9, 1731, in Ellicott's Mills, Maryland. A free black who owned a farm near Baltimore, Banneker was largely self-educated in astronomy by watching the stars and in mathematics by reading borrowed textbooks. He became an active writer of almanacs and was appointed by President George Washington to the District of Columbia Commission.

Early Years

Astronomer. Entirely self-educated, Benjamin Banneker was born November 9, 1731, in Ellicott's Mills, Maryland. He was the son of an ex-slave named Robert, whose wife, Mary Banneky, was the daughter of an Englishwoman and an African ex-slave.

Because both of his parents were free, ...

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talents and intelligence eventually came to the attention of the Ellicott brothers, industrialists who had made their name and fortune by building a series of gristmills in the Baltimore area in the 1770s. George Ellicott, a fellow mathematician and astronomer, loaned Banneker numerous books in both fields.

In 1791 Banneker teamed up with Major Andrew Ellicott, an American surveyor, to map out a new national capital.

Banneker's Almanacs

Banneker's true acclaim, however, came from his almanac, which he published for six consecutive years between 1792 and 1797. These almanacs included his own astronomical calculations as well as opinion pieces, literature, and medical and tidal information, among other things.

Outside of his almanacs, Banneker also published information on bees and calculated the cycle of the 17-year locust.

Letter to Jefferson

Banneker's confidence extended into other realms. During Thomas Jefferson's tenure as secretary of state, ...

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 2/17/2015 10:01:56 AM
Submitted By: Missthickie
Category: Biographies
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 451
Pages: 2

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