Benjamin Banneker is a free Black man and self taught astronomer and clock maker. The Quaker brothers John, Andrew and Joseph Ellicott give him books on astronomy.
He accompanies the Ellicott party that surveys the boundaries of Washington DC in 1791. The following year he publishes the first of six annual almanacs and writes to Thomas Jefferson, stating that men of color are intellectually equal to white men. Jefferson responds with intellectual respect but no commitment.
Banneker’s interest in astronomy and his scientific abilities make him the first and most accomplished Black person in 18th century America.
