https://mallhistory.org/files/original/6d1ee451a916850b41a6292b9ad783ad.png 93894860fdb3880b11d11ffa4a0f79ae Omeka Image File The metadata element set that was included in the `files_images` table in previous versions of Omeka. These elements are common to all image files. Width 412 Height 424 Bit Depth 8 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Maryland Historical Society People An individual, biographical data, birth and death, etc. Birth Date 11/09/1731 Birthplace Baltimore County, Maryland Death Date 10/09/1806 Occupation Surveyor Mathematician Biographical Text Benjamin Banneker was a free black resident of Maryland. His father was a freed slave and his mother had been born free. He lived most of his life in a cabin his father built on the farm which he eventually inherited from his parents. He learned to read and write from his mother and grandmother, and may have attended a local one-room schoolhouse run by Quakers in the winter. Banneker also studied on his own, making a functioning clock out of wood when he was in his early twenties. By 1780, Banneker lived alone on the farm: his parents had died and all three of his sisters had married and moved away. <br /><br />In 1771, George Ellicott, wealthy white man with an interest in the sciences, moved to the area. Ellicott shared his interest in astronomy with his neighbors, including Banneker. Because Banneker was so interested, Ellicott lent him a telescope and some books. Banneker taught himself how to make the calculations necessary to create an almanac. <br /><br />Banneker’s first almanac was published in Baltimore in 1792. He published five more almanacs, one for each year until 1797. These were sold in Great Britain as well as the United States. His publications and scientific achievements were touted by anti-slavery activists as proof of the injustice of racial slavery. Banneker himself wrote to Thomas Jefferson, at the time Secretary of State, to argue for national abolition of slavery.<br /><br />During this period, Banneker worked as a surveyor, assisting <a href="http://mallhistory.org/items/show/105">Andrew Ellicott,</a> George Ellicott's cousin, with the first survey of the what would become the District of Columbia in 1791.<br /><br />Banneker died in his sleep a month short of his seventy-fifth birthday. Sadly, a fire in his house shortly after his death destroyed most of his papers. Although he was a talented mathematician and scientist, his opportunity for advancement was extremely limited because of racial prejudice. First Name for nav purposes Benjamin Last Name for nav purposes Banneker Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Benjamin Banneker Description An account of the resource Banneker was a free African American surveyor, mathematician, and almanac author from Maryland. In 1791, he assisted <a href="http://mallhistory.org/items/show/105">Andrew Ellicott </a>with a survey of the boundaries of the District of Columbia. Among his duties on the survey, <a href="http://mallhistory.org/items/show/514">Banneker</a> operated the astronomical equipment which helped the surveyors determine their exact location. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Pre-1800s Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Maryland Historical Society. <a href="http://www.mdhs.org/digitalimage/cover-benjamin-bannakers-sic-pennsylvania-delaware-maryland-and-virginia-almanac-year-1">View original</a>. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Benjamin Banneker