Benjamin Banneker: Brilliant Surveyor, Mathematician, and Astronomer
5 CHAPTER ONE Benjamin Banneker grew up to become the country’s first noted African-American scientist and mathematician Living in Maryland in the early 1700s Robert and Mary Banneky were not typical former slaves They were among approximately 200 free African Americans living in Baltimore County at the time The county’s other 4,000 African Americans lived in slavery Slaves worked for their owners for no pay They had no freedom and often lived in poor conditions But the Bannekys had their own tobacco CURIOUS AT A YOUNG AGE
Slaves who were often forced to work on plantations r e c e i v e d n o p a y f o r t h e i r l a b o r farm On November 9 1731 they welcomed their first child a son they named Benjamin Benjamin would grow up to become a prominent mathematician and astronomer Later in life he would use his position as a great thinker to challenge racism and slavery 6
The Dogons Some scholars believe Benjamin’s grandfather Banneka may have belonged to a group called the Dogons before he was enslaved The Dogons lived in western Africa in what is now Mali They used advanced farming techniques such as irrigation They studied astronomy and were known for their accurate star charts Banneka used this knowledge when he was living in America and passed it down to his family Banneka’s knowledge may have laid the foundation for some of Benjamin’s scientific interests and ideas 7 Banneka’s Background The Banneky family took its name from Benjamin’s maternal grandfather Banneka The son of an African chief Banneka had been captured in Africa and sold into slavery After arriving in North America Banneka was purchased by a white woman named Molly Welsh Welsh had also arrived in the colonies against her will Years before Welsh had worked as a dairymaid in England After knocking over a bucket of milk she was transported or sent to the American colonies as an indentured servant This meant she would
