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Benjamin Banneker was a freeborn black (his mother was freeborn and bought his father's freedom). He learned reading, writing, and arithmetic at a country school. He was especially skilled in arithmetic and improved his knowledge of the subject "...by the operation of his mind alone" (Nell 205). Banneker created and constructed a clock, which "...proved to be an excellent timepiece" (Nell 205), by examining a watch. He became self-educated in astronomy and published his first almanac in 1792. Banneker sent a copy of this almanac to Thomas Jefferson to prove that blacks were intellectually equal to whites. Although he received a letter from Jefferson praising his work, he did not succeed in convincing Jefferson to change his views. Despite this specific failure, by the time he was 59, Banneker was well-respected by the scientific community and was seen "...as one whose color did not prevent his belonging to the same class, as far as intellect went, with themselves" (Nell 209). Banneker continued publishing almanacs through 1802 (Nell).
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