Who Was Benjamin Banneker? for Kids | Important Figures in African American History

Have you ever heard of Benjamin Banneker? This famous African American in history accomplished much in his life. He was born in 1731 to Robert and Mary Banneker. He had very little formal education. Instead, his grandmother, Molly, taught him how to read and write. Benjamin enjoyed learning and was more interested in math, science, and engineering than in playing with friends.
At only 21, he invented a a clock made almost entirely out of wood. While clocks had been around for quite some time, it was the first one of its kind. In addition to inventions, Banneker also loved astronomy. He is considered the first African American astronomer in our history. He borrowed tools from friends and was nearly able to predict a solar eclipse. He later discovered that his calculation had been wrong due to the errors with the sources he used, not his math.
Benjamin's most important work was as an abolitionist. He published an almanac that promoted the end of slavery. He was frequently attacked for his views on slavery, equality, and justice. But that didn't stop him. In fact, he even challenged then-Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson to explain his opinions on these matters. Jefferson politely responded in a letter avoiding further controversy. Banneker published it in his almanac.
On October 9, 1809, Banneker died on his family farm. Sadly, on the day of his burial, the house that contains all of his inventions and years of scientific research and publications caught fire. The entire Banneker collection-including the clock that kept accurate time for 40 years-were destroyed by the fire.
We hope you and your student(s) enjoyed learning about this important individual in our country's history! If you want even more information, head over to our website and download one of our many lesson plans, full of activities, worksheets, and more!
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What you will learn in Who Was Benjamin Banneker? for Kids:
0:00 Introduction
0:37 Early life of Benjamin Banneker
1:31 How he helped during the Revolutionary War
2:10 Love of astronomy and publication of his almanac
3:38 Death and loss of his inventions and research
4:07 Review of the facts
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