Benjamin Banneker

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Benjamin Banneker was born in 1731 in Baltimore, Maryland. He died in 1806. Banneker is famous because he was a mathematician, astronomer, clockmaker, and publisher. He also wrote a letter to Thomas Jefferson about black people's freedom.

In 1789, Banneker made something very useful for sailors. He made an ephemeris, which is a table of values that gives the positions of astronomical objects in the sky. Then in 1791, Banneker had to survey land to make sure it was good land on which to put the new capital of the United States. That same year, the first almanac was published by Banneker. Also in that year, Banneker wrote a letter about giving African Americans more freedom. I admire Banneker because I think it takes a lot of guts to write a letter to a famous person and tell that person that African Americans need more freedom.