Thursday, January 24, 2008

Benjaman Banneker

Who is Benjamen Banneker? Wow you actually don't know well e is a strong black man who was actually the first black to make this giant achievement.This short passage is about the life of Benjamen Banneker. It is a brief subscription of his achievements, his life story, and how he was inspired to live out his carrier as the first African American astronomer.
Benjamin Banneker was born in Maryland on November 9, 1731. His father and grandfather were former slaves. Benjamin was taught to read and do simple arithmetic by his grandmother and by a Quaker schoolmaster, who changed his name to Banneker. Once he was old enough to help on his parents' farm, his formal education ended.
Driven by this fascination, he turned from farming to watch and clock making. One customer was a neighbor named George Ellicott, a surveyor. He was so impressed with his Banneker's work and intelligence, he lent him books on mathematics and astronomy. With this help, Banneker taught himself astronomy and advanced mathematics. Starting about 1773, he turned his attention to both subjects. His study of astronomy enabled him to make the calculations to predict solar and lunar eclipses.
In 1791, Banneker sent then Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson, a copy of his first almanac along with an eloquent plea for justice for African Americans, calling on the colonists' personal experience as "slaves" of Britain and quoting Jefferson's own words. Jefferson was impressed and sent a copy of the almanac to the Royal Academy of Sciences in Paris as evidence of the talent of blacks. Banneker's almanac helped convince many that African-Americans were not intellectually inferior to whites.
this passage was a short summary of the life of Benjamen Banneker. This is not even enough to describe all of his achievements but it is all of his most known ones.

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