Benjamin Banneker
Episode 7: The Humanity Archive Podcast
Benjamin Banneker was a mathematician, astronomer, surveyor, naturalist, and almanac author born in 1731. He was a free Black man living in the slave state of Maryland. Yet, for all of his freedom, one in six people living in Maryland was enslaved. Against the odds, he authored a series of successful almanacs and challenged Thomas Jefferson on the national horror of chattel slavery.
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Benjamin Banneker Clock
Banneker was exceptionally intelligent. A lover of mathematics was told he solved puzzles and at about the age of twenty-one, he constructed a striking wall clock, without ever having seen one. The wooden timepiece appears to have been the first clock in the region and brought those who had heard about it to his cabin to observe it and listen to its strike. The clock continued to function successfully for over fifty years, until his death.
Benjamin Banneker Letter to Thomas Jefferson
Benjamin Banneker grew up as a black man in America when slavery was climbing toward its peak. In the nation existed a mass devaluing of human life on a scale that is hard to imagine. Enter Thomas Jefferson, the highly powerful and influential Secretary of state, could Banneker convince him to use his powers and help end the horrible enslavement of black people?
In 1792, Benjamin Banneker boldly wrote to Thomas Jefferson, signaling for him to help end slavery. While the details of Benjamin Banneker’s life are elusive, his letter is very clear. He was writing to propose to Jefferson to end slavery. After all, this was the same man who wrote, “all men are created equal.”
There were men, women, and children suffering in the terrible conditions of slavery. Benjamin Banneker wanted to change that. Thousands of lives were being shaped as the slavery crisis raged, and Banneker thought it imperative to do something.
Benjamin Banneker Facts
In the podcast episode, we explore:
Who was Benjamin Banneker?
Who were the Quakers and what may have been their influence?
Banneker's early life.
Banneker as an intelligent young man.
Another side of Thomas Jefferson.
Banneker’s letter to end slavery.
Benjamin Banneker Research & Reading List
HOST & COURSE INSTRUCTOR
Jermaine Fowler
Jermaine Fowler is a history author and self-proclaimed intellectual adventurer. Challenging dominant perspectives, Fowler goes outside the textbooks to find stories that are recognizably human.