Benjamin Banneker was one of the first African-American intellectuals in America. He was born on November 9, 1731. His father was a freed black and his mother was the daughter of a white indentured servant. He was self-educated. He created an irrigation system for the family farm and built a wooden clock that kept accurate time for the next forty years. It was destroyed in a fire. It may have been the first clock built in America. He taught himself astronomy and was able to predict eclipses. He helped survey the area that was to become the District of Columbia. (His role has been exaggerated in some textbooks.) He published his own almanac from 1792-1797. He wrote a letter to Thomas Jefferson which included a copy of the almanac manuscript. In the letter he chastised Jefferson for fighting for independence when blacks were enslaved. He insisted that blacks were not inferior. Jefferson responded by commending him on his accomplishments and agreeing that some blacks had talents that should be developed. He sent a copy of the manuscript to the French Academy of Science.
https://www.biography.com/scientist/benjamin-banneker
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Banneker
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