Benjamin Banneker was born November 9, 1731 in Baltimore County, Maryland. He was primarily self-taught and known as an astronomer, mathematician, scientist, and inventor. His parents were Mary Banneky of English and African descent and Robert, an African slave who had bought his freedom. It is also stated he was awarded his freedom when he converted to Christianity [1]. He grew up on a farm with 3 sisters. As an adult, he lived on the farm which he had inherited from his maternal grandparents in 1737 when he was 6 years old. Most likely, it was passed to him as he was male and had never been a slave. His grandmother was an indentured servant from England named Molly Welsh that purchased her freedom and the property. She freed and married an African slave named Banneka. (Banneky is assumed to be the misspelled last name of Mary from the adopted first name of her father Banneka. The name changed again to became Banneker. [1]) Benjamin learned to read from his mother and grandmother and received some instruction from a nearby Quaker school that he attended during the winter when he wasn’t working on the farm. Quakers were early supporters of racial equality and …show more content…
It included weather data, tidal information for Chesapeake Bay, sunrise and sunset times, moon phases, positions of stars and planets. His almanac also included abolitionist essays, his poems, recipes, and medical remedies. He seemed to contribute to enlightenment with his observations of nature. The book was updated yearly for 10 years. It was read by many in Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. It was a landmark reference. James McHenry, who became a member of Washington’s cabinet and the editor of Banneker’s 1796 almanac commented that this shows the intelligence and “powers of mind are disconnected with the color of the skin”. [1, pg