5 Little Known Facts About Brilliant Mind Black Inventor Benjamin Banneker

Some folks in history make me smile and shake my head at the same time. When I think about the Brilliant Mind Black Inventor Benjamin Banneker, I always rock a BIG Kool-aid smile.

Benjamin Banneker is without a doubt one of my favorites. Why? For me, he reflects the heart of STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics). The heart of STEM is problem-solving. For me, Brilliant Mind Benjamin Banneker was a pre-Innovative Black George Washington Carver. Both intensively observed nature and shared their knowledge to help farmers grow better crops. He was not the first Black Inventor or the first Black Innovative. However, Banneker is one of the first documented Innovative Black Inventors. Unfortunately, his invention was not patented. Remember, you have to consider the era, Colonial Times. The majority of Black people were not free, rather they lived in the North or the South. There were numerous reasons why their inventions were not patented. 

Click on the compass rose for the link to the Emancipation Proclamation Document. 

Until the Emancipation Proclamation, Black people were not considered human; therefore, they did not have the same rights as White inventors. The 13th Amendment granted some freedom to Blacks.  However, Black people were not treated equally or had the same rights as White people. Yes, Black people were free from the bondage of slavery. With that being said, Intellectual Benjamin Banneker, had to work much harder to gain notoriety while working with a lot less. Now, who is this brilliant pioneer, Benjamin Banneker?

 

 

Benjamin Banneker was born November 7, 1731, in a rural area called Oella, Maryland.  He was born free, he was never owned by a slave master. During Colonial times, it wasn’t encouraged to teach Blacks how to read or write. If a teacher got caught educating a Black person, the punishment could be very severe.  Crazy, right? Fortunately, his grandmother had a different mindset.  His grandmother Molly Bannaky taught him to how to read by utilizing the Bible. Here’s an interesting tidbit, his grandmother was an indentured servant from Great Britain. She was sent to the Colonies to serve her sentence. She bought land and slaves.  Basically, she made a life for herself and her slave, who she later married. There are rumors and speculation that her slave Bannaky was an African Prince. For some reason, there was a name change from Bannaky to Banneker. Benjamin Banneker’s parents were Robert and Mary Banneker. When he was 6 years old, his parents purchased 100 acres of land and became a landowner.  His family grew several crops, but mostly tobacco. 

 

 

At 21 years old, he became fascinated with a pocket watch. Banneker was interested in how the gears swirled, twirled, and whirled. During Colonial times, metal was very expensive. However, he had plenty of wood. So, he had to use what was available.

Now, Banneker had another problem. He wanted to make a larger clock to display on a mantel.  So, he sketched the gears on a much larger scale. Next, he carved the pocket watch had very intricate gears. Just understand, he had to work on this masterpiece in his spare time. So, with that being said, it took Brilliant Mind Benjamin Banneker a couple of years to design the first US wooden striking clock. This timepiece accurately chimed by the hour for over 40 years.

In my youtube video, my students used recyclable materials for their STEM Challenges. In this challenge, they used a milk crate and used packaging material to secure their pumpkins for a 30 ft. drop. 

Pumpkin Challenge Part 1:

Pumpkin Challenge Part 2:

 

 

Benjamin Banneker was the first Black to write an almanac. An almanac is a book that was as important as the Bible during Colonial times. Basically, an almanac is like Mama Nature’s directions written down. It determined when the farmers’ planted their seeds when to plow when to harvest, and amounts of precipitation, and provided weather predictions. Banneker predicted solar eclipses. According to the Smithsonian website, there has been some serious chit-chat about Banneker not being acknowledged for observing the Brood X Circadian Cycle. Remember, he was a farmer. So, there should not be a surprise, he would be a little concerned about an invasion of insects.

 

 

In 1791, somewhere in Maryland, Banneker began to write one of the first letters of Civil Rights for the Colonial Era. He sent a copy of his Farmer’s Almanac to Secretary Thomas Jefferson. Yes, Thomas Jefferson became the United States of America’s 3rd President and one of the founding fathers. Here’s a little tidbit about the future President of the United States, he was a zealous scientist himself. Like Banneker, he was an agriculturalist. Yes, he owned several Black slaves. Banneker wanted better treatment of his race.  And the perplexity begins, Benjamin Banneker, a free man, was 1st Black to correspond to a government official. Yes, this is several years, after the ink dried on the  Declaration of Independence, (15 years later). In the letter, Banneker questioned Thomas Jefferson’s words “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” He did not understand how  Jefferson owned slaves, it was a direct contradiction of freedom for all. Less than 2 weeks later, Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson, responded to Banneker’s letter. Jefferson’s letter reflected his hope for a better treatment of “our Black brethen.”

Click the compass to connect to the letter from the Library of Congress.

So, how many naturalists, civil rights leaders, and engineers like Benjamin Banneker do you have in your classroom? Let me show you how to demonstrate diversity in your classroom.  Click on the link below.

 

 

Benjamin Banneker is One of the Founders of Washington D.C. He was recommended to President George Washington by Major Andrew Ellicot IV.  In the heart of winter, Banneker slept in a tent on the frozen ground. From February 1791 to April 1791, he was an assistant to George Ellicot to survey of the ten-mile square of the District of Columbia. On April 15, 1791, the Federal District stone markers were installed. President George Washington authorize the use of renting enslaved laborers from owners in order to cut down cost of building the capital building. In April 1792, Banneker helped survey and pave roads to the White House and the Capitol Building. Yes, as a free Black man, Intellectual Benjamin Banneker helped design the boundaries of our nation’s capital. He helped paved the roads to the White House and Capitol Building alongside ‘enslaved laborers.’

Click the compass to check out one of the boundary stones.

 

This is a bronze statue located in the Smithsonian African American Museum. I visited in August 2019, I couldn’t believe the depth of Black History. Then, the scavenger hunt began. I began looking for information on Benjamin Banneker. I was on the first floor, just fascinated by all of the displays. But, I kept saying, “He’s way too important not to be here.”  I kept asking myself, “Where is he?” I was wandering around reading about Blacks in Colonial history. I said, “He has to be here.” Then, I saw this statue. For a moment, I stopped breathing. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. This 3D symbolism of Colonial US History is portrayed by a Black man. Brilliant Mind Benjamin Banneker died on October 9, 1806, several days before his 75th birthday. During his funeral, his cabin along with most of his research and invention was destroyed by arsonists. You can just imagine how much scientific data was destroyed.  Fortunately, his friends, the Ellicott Family, kept some of his published work for safekeeping. You can make up your mind about why this was necessary. 

 

Now,  I can go on and on about the lack of historical information.  I have spent countless hours in a few libraries.  However, I have never visited the US Library of Congress. I probably would lose my mind if I darken its’ doorsteps.  For my non-US citizens, The Library of Congress is like a museum of United States artifacts. It is the home of all US copyrights. It is not that far from our United States Supreme Court.  So, I love murals because they tell a story without utilizing text.  This mural is located in the Records of Deeds and depicts the Brilliant Mind Black Inventor Benjamin Banneker surveying the chosen area for the new United States Capitol.

Several people from all walks of life, and various backgrounds believed in what he symbolized, innovation, ingenuity, tenacity, and hope. He is an enriched symbol of why we need Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Check out my blog on STEM In Education. I discuss how to teach diversity in STEM. 

https://www.westemtoo.com/stem-in-education/

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