¨...because I considered it as a document, to which your whole color had a right for their justification, against the doubts which have been entertained of them.¨ (Jefferson, 1791) These words were spoken by our Secretary of State, in the year of 1791, Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson wrote these words to one man, Benjamin Banneker, who challenged the Secretary about the freeing of slaves and for equality to people of color. Though this was not Banneker´s only achievement, for 1791 was the year of Banneker.
Benjamin Banneker was born on November 9th, 1731 to a freed African slave and a biracial mother. With his parents’ status of freedom, Banneker escaped slavery. The area where Banneker lived, Baltimore County, was a ¨color-blind area¨. This meant that color was not an issue in this area of Maryland and people were not judged upon their race. This was not uncommon in the state seeing as it was the first …show more content…
Jefferson also requested Banneker to be on this committee. Banneker and Ellicott worked alongside with Pierre Charles L’enfant to survey the area, using L’enfant’s plans. For reasons unknown, L’enfant left and it was up to Ellicott and Banneker to try and remember the plans. They used stones to map out the boundary of the original area for the capital. These stones can be found in Falls Church and Alexandria, Virginia. From there on out, in 1792 to 1806, Banneker produced almanacs about many things. Each of these almanacs included “weather forecasts, tide tables, lunar and solar eclipses, and the times of the rising and setting of the sun and moon; they were also infused with mild poems, proverbs, and other bits of general information.” (PBS, Benjamin Banneker’s Almanacs) Benjamin was and still is considered the first African American man in science. Though, he was not only a man of science and astronomy, he was a man who fought for