1 00:00:01,040 --> 00:00:04,240 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class from how 2 00:00:04,280 --> 00:00:13,720 Speaker 1: Stuff Works dot com. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. 3 00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:16,960 Speaker 1: I'm Tracy B. Wilson and I'm Holly Frying, and today 4 00:00:16,960 --> 00:00:19,720 Speaker 1: we're going to talk about a particularly amazing person in 5 00:00:19,760 --> 00:00:24,040 Speaker 1: American history, and that is Benjamin Bannaker. Yes, who is 6 00:00:24,079 --> 00:00:26,120 Speaker 1: someone I have not known very much about before we 7 00:00:26,160 --> 00:00:29,000 Speaker 1: started this little project. I had not. I had not either, 8 00:00:29,480 --> 00:00:32,800 Speaker 1: and I learned a whole lot of fascinating stuff. There's 9 00:00:32,800 --> 00:00:35,960 Speaker 1: really a lot that was particularly amazing about his life. 10 00:00:36,479 --> 00:00:39,839 Speaker 1: He had almost no official schooling, but he turned out 11 00:00:39,880 --> 00:00:42,440 Speaker 1: to be such a scholar that today there are schools 12 00:00:42,479 --> 00:00:46,919 Speaker 1: and professorships, um and educational foundations and things like that 13 00:00:47,040 --> 00:00:49,960 Speaker 1: named after him. He and his family made up a 14 00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:55,080 Speaker 1: really small handful of the about two hundred free African 15 00:00:55,080 --> 00:00:58,680 Speaker 1: Americans who were living in Maryland at the time where 16 00:00:58,720 --> 00:01:01,560 Speaker 1: they were at that point of about four thousand slaves 17 00:01:01,600 --> 00:01:05,040 Speaker 1: and thirteen thousand white people. And he lived at an 18 00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:08,360 Speaker 1: age when African Americans were really considered to be inferior 19 00:01:08,520 --> 00:01:12,920 Speaker 1: to white people and incapable of scholarly thought. But he managed, 20 00:01:13,120 --> 00:01:16,920 Speaker 1: in spite of that existing perception to publish a series 21 00:01:16,959 --> 00:01:20,080 Speaker 1: of really well respected Almanacs, and he was appointed by 22 00:01:20,080 --> 00:01:22,760 Speaker 1: George Washington to help survey the land that would eventually 23 00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:26,560 Speaker 1: become Washington, d c. Which is really cool. Yeah, And 24 00:01:26,600 --> 00:01:29,319 Speaker 1: it all started when he was born on November nine, 25 00:01:29,319 --> 00:01:32,360 Speaker 1: in seventeen thirty one in Maryland. He has a pretty 26 00:01:32,360 --> 00:01:36,559 Speaker 1: interesting family history. His maternal grandmother was an englishwoman named 27 00:01:36,600 --> 00:01:40,760 Speaker 1: Molly Walsh or Welsh, it differs depending on whose account 28 00:01:40,760 --> 00:01:44,559 Speaker 1: you're looking at. She had been falsely convicted of stealing milk. 29 00:01:45,040 --> 00:01:47,520 Speaker 1: The bucket had really been kicked over by a cow. 30 00:01:47,600 --> 00:01:50,360 Speaker 1: But she was sent to Maryland as an indentured servant, 31 00:01:50,800 --> 00:01:53,720 Speaker 1: and once she had completed her indenture, she borrowed some 32 00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:56,800 Speaker 1: money to rent a farm or rent some land to 33 00:01:56,840 --> 00:02:02,200 Speaker 1: start a farm, and she two slaves. One of the 34 00:02:02,240 --> 00:02:05,400 Speaker 1: slaves was known as Bannocky, whose name had originally been 35 00:02:05,680 --> 00:02:08,839 Speaker 1: Banna as one word and ca the second word, and 36 00:02:08,919 --> 00:02:12,000 Speaker 1: who had been a chief or a king before being enslaved. 37 00:02:12,320 --> 00:02:14,519 Speaker 1: And once she had paid off all her debts, Molly 38 00:02:14,560 --> 00:02:19,440 Speaker 1: actually freed both the slaves in s and she married Bannacky. 39 00:02:19,480 --> 00:02:21,960 Speaker 1: This marriage was illegal in Maryland. So this was a 40 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:26,280 Speaker 1: lot of really astounding events happening around the beginning of 41 00:02:26,320 --> 00:02:30,200 Speaker 1: his family or just completely unusual for the time. One 42 00:02:30,240 --> 00:02:33,280 Speaker 1: of Molly and Bannakey's children was a daughter named Mary, 43 00:02:33,639 --> 00:02:37,000 Speaker 1: and Mary eventually when she grew up, purchased her own slave, 44 00:02:37,080 --> 00:02:40,200 Speaker 1: who had been named Robert when he was baptized. He 45 00:02:40,400 --> 00:02:42,960 Speaker 1: was from the region of Africa that was known at 46 00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:46,440 Speaker 1: the time as Guinea, and that most likely was somewhere 47 00:02:46,440 --> 00:02:50,400 Speaker 1: in the stretch of Africa that spans uh west to 48 00:02:50,400 --> 00:02:55,200 Speaker 1: east from Ghana to Nigeria. Um Like her mother, Molly 49 00:02:55,400 --> 00:02:58,320 Speaker 1: later freed and married Robert, and when she did, he 50 00:02:58,360 --> 00:03:01,800 Speaker 1: took her last name, So it's a little bit unclear 51 00:03:01,960 --> 00:03:05,680 Speaker 1: how exactly the last name morphed into Bannaker. But Mary 52 00:03:05,720 --> 00:03:09,840 Speaker 1: and Robert had four children, Benjamin and then his three 53 00:03:09,919 --> 00:03:12,560 Speaker 1: younger sisters, and at some point they were all going 54 00:03:12,560 --> 00:03:17,200 Speaker 1: by the name Bannaker and not Bannicky anymore. Benjamin's parents 55 00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:21,640 Speaker 1: bought a small tobacco farm next to Molly and Bannacky's farm. 56 00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:24,919 Speaker 1: The farm was registered to both Benjamin and his father. 57 00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:29,200 Speaker 1: Molly taught Benjamin to read using the Bible, and he 58 00:03:29,240 --> 00:03:32,000 Speaker 1: actually went to an interracial Quaker school for boys for 59 00:03:32,040 --> 00:03:34,560 Speaker 1: a little while when he was young, but he didn't 60 00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:37,320 Speaker 1: get much formal education. As Tracey mentioned at the top 61 00:03:37,360 --> 00:03:40,360 Speaker 1: of the podcast, the school was only open in the winters, 62 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:42,800 Speaker 1: and so it wasn't like a regular, full time, year 63 00:03:42,880 --> 00:03:46,320 Speaker 1: round school, and it really was only available for lessons 64 00:03:46,320 --> 00:03:49,240 Speaker 1: when the boys weren't needed to help their families on 65 00:03:49,280 --> 00:03:53,560 Speaker 1: the farms. So even though he really had not much 66 00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:56,840 Speaker 1: formal education at all, he had a very avid interest 67 00:03:56,880 --> 00:04:00,560 Speaker 1: in learning, and he was especially interested in math and mechanics, 68 00:04:01,120 --> 00:04:04,240 Speaker 1: and so he wound up teaching himself. Almost his whole 69 00:04:04,360 --> 00:04:08,120 Speaker 1: education was self taught, and in addition to the mechanical 70 00:04:08,240 --> 00:04:10,840 Speaker 1: and mathematic things that he really delved into, he also 71 00:04:11,080 --> 00:04:14,600 Speaker 1: studied the stars and taught himself astronomy. And he also 72 00:04:14,720 --> 00:04:16,960 Speaker 1: learned to play the flute and the violin, which kind 73 00:04:16,960 --> 00:04:19,880 Speaker 1: of blows my mind, because picking up a musical instrument 74 00:04:19,880 --> 00:04:21,880 Speaker 1: and learning how to play it is quite a feat 75 00:04:22,040 --> 00:04:24,679 Speaker 1: in itself, even if you have lessons well, and picking 76 00:04:24,720 --> 00:04:28,080 Speaker 1: up things like complex mathematics and the kinds of calculations 77 00:04:28,120 --> 00:04:31,960 Speaker 1: that are required for astronomy without really having someone to 78 00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:38,360 Speaker 1: help you along is also pretty astounding. When he was fifteen, 79 00:04:38,880 --> 00:04:41,520 Speaker 1: Benjamin took over the family farm, and one of the 80 00:04:41,560 --> 00:04:43,640 Speaker 1: things that he did was he designed and built an 81 00:04:43,680 --> 00:04:46,479 Speaker 1: irrigation system to divert water from a spring that was 82 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:48,960 Speaker 1: nearby to their crops, so he was able to keep 83 00:04:48,960 --> 00:04:51,320 Speaker 1: the crops alive even when there were droughts going on. 84 00:04:51,960 --> 00:04:55,040 Speaker 1: And he also used corop rotation techniques that weren't really 85 00:04:55,080 --> 00:04:58,240 Speaker 1: in common practice at the time. And as an adult, 86 00:04:58,680 --> 00:05:02,119 Speaker 1: Benjamin generally wore Quaker style clothing, so he stuck pretty 87 00:05:02,160 --> 00:05:05,839 Speaker 1: much too simple dark jackets and white shirts. Uh. And 88 00:05:05,880 --> 00:05:08,320 Speaker 1: although he had some affinity for the Quakers, he never 89 00:05:08,400 --> 00:05:12,040 Speaker 1: actually joined. He just kind of emulated them in his style. 90 00:05:13,240 --> 00:05:16,719 Speaker 1: Here's a description of him from an eighteen fifty four 91 00:05:16,760 --> 00:05:21,159 Speaker 1: sketch of his life. Bannaker, whilst in the vigor of manhood, 92 00:05:21,240 --> 00:05:24,680 Speaker 1: was an industrious and thriving farmer. He kept his grounds 93 00:05:24,680 --> 00:05:28,159 Speaker 1: in good order, had horses, cows, and many hives of bees, 94 00:05:28,560 --> 00:05:32,760 Speaker 1: cultivated a good garden, and lived comfortably during the winter 95 00:05:32,839 --> 00:05:36,080 Speaker 1: months and at other seasons of leisure. His active mind 96 00:05:36,160 --> 00:05:39,000 Speaker 1: was employed in improving the knowledge he had gained at school. 97 00:05:39,400 --> 00:05:42,920 Speaker 1: He thus became acquainted with the most difficult portions of arithmetic. 98 00:05:43,320 --> 00:05:45,919 Speaker 1: He also read all the books on general literature that 99 00:05:45,960 --> 00:05:49,400 Speaker 1: he could borrow and occasionally diverted his mind with an 100 00:05:49,520 --> 00:05:54,760 Speaker 1: ingenious effort in mechanics. That's kind of like a It's 101 00:05:54,760 --> 00:05:56,920 Speaker 1: so quaint you would think it was out of fiction. 102 00:05:57,480 --> 00:06:01,920 Speaker 1: I didn't know it was an actual humans, the real person. Yeah. Uh. 103 00:06:02,040 --> 00:06:04,440 Speaker 1: So when he was twenty two, he actually made a clock. 104 00:06:05,160 --> 00:06:07,560 Speaker 1: He had seen a pocket watch belonging to a friend. 105 00:06:08,240 --> 00:06:10,120 Speaker 1: We're not sure on the pronunciation of the last name, 106 00:06:10,120 --> 00:06:13,719 Speaker 1: it could be Joseph Levy or Levi uh. But Benjamin 107 00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:16,880 Speaker 1: had been completely fascinated with this watch, and so Joseph 108 00:06:16,880 --> 00:06:20,200 Speaker 1: actually let him take it apart, and so Benjamin sketched 109 00:06:20,200 --> 00:06:22,520 Speaker 1: out all the components and put the watch back together 110 00:06:22,640 --> 00:06:26,039 Speaker 1: in working order, and then used that experiential learning to 111 00:06:26,440 --> 00:06:29,440 Speaker 1: make a clock from scratch. So today this probably doesn't 112 00:06:29,440 --> 00:06:33,719 Speaker 1: sound like a giant deal because clocks are ubiquitous, But 113 00:06:33,800 --> 00:06:35,920 Speaker 1: at the time, nearly all of the clocks in the 114 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:38,880 Speaker 1: United States were imported from England. There wasn't really anyone 115 00:06:38,960 --> 00:06:42,440 Speaker 1: in the US who was making clocks, and Benjamin's clock 116 00:06:42,560 --> 00:06:45,680 Speaker 1: was made entirely out of wood, apart from an iron 117 00:06:45,720 --> 00:06:48,400 Speaker 1: bell that he got that was struck hourly. And this 118 00:06:48,480 --> 00:06:51,360 Speaker 1: clock ran for more than forty years, keeping good time. 119 00:06:51,400 --> 00:06:55,240 Speaker 1: That entire time until the day that Benjamin was buried 120 00:06:55,240 --> 00:06:57,960 Speaker 1: after his death when his home in all of its contents, 121 00:06:58,000 --> 00:07:02,599 Speaker 1: burned in a fire. So, based on the the watch 122 00:07:02,680 --> 00:07:05,479 Speaker 1: he had seen and taken apart one time, he made 123 00:07:05,680 --> 00:07:11,760 Speaker 1: a working wooden clock that kept time for forty years. Yes, uh, 124 00:07:12,400 --> 00:07:15,000 Speaker 1: like you said, it seems simple because clocks are everywhere. 125 00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:17,160 Speaker 1: But if anyone has ever taken apart a watch, even 126 00:07:17,200 --> 00:07:19,760 Speaker 1: to replace a battery, and you lose one spring like, 127 00:07:20,360 --> 00:07:22,320 Speaker 1: forget it, it's over. You have to go to an 128 00:07:22,360 --> 00:07:24,400 Speaker 1: expert at that point. Right. So the idea that he 129 00:07:24,480 --> 00:07:26,280 Speaker 1: just took one apart, put it back together and went, 130 00:07:26,280 --> 00:07:29,400 Speaker 1: oh I get it. Yes, I can make one, went 131 00:07:29,480 --> 00:07:33,040 Speaker 1: forward making its own. It's really pretty impressive. So this 132 00:07:33,200 --> 00:07:36,280 Speaker 1: clock is cited as the first striking clock built in 133 00:07:36,360 --> 00:07:39,880 Speaker 1: the United States. Uh. And he used this experience to 134 00:07:40,160 --> 00:07:42,840 Speaker 1: sort of start up a little side business repairing people's 135 00:07:42,880 --> 00:07:46,640 Speaker 1: watches and clocks. People who came to the area would 136 00:07:46,640 --> 00:07:49,360 Speaker 1: stop by just to see the clock and to talk 137 00:07:49,400 --> 00:07:52,320 Speaker 1: to Benjamin, who by this point had developed a reputation 138 00:07:52,360 --> 00:07:57,440 Speaker 1: for being extremely intelligent but also modest and gentlemanly. He 139 00:07:58,080 --> 00:08:01,760 Speaker 1: became familiar with the Ellicott's family from Pennsylvania who had 140 00:08:01,760 --> 00:08:04,480 Speaker 1: built a mill and established the town not very far 141 00:08:04,560 --> 00:08:07,840 Speaker 1: from Benjamin's farm, and Benjamin had been a frequent visitor 142 00:08:07,880 --> 00:08:10,440 Speaker 1: while the mill was being built because he liked to 143 00:08:10,480 --> 00:08:13,600 Speaker 1: observe all the mechanics and machinery involved in the process, 144 00:08:14,080 --> 00:08:17,679 Speaker 1: and he and the Elicotts became friends, and eventually George 145 00:08:17,720 --> 00:08:21,280 Speaker 1: Ellicott loan Benjamin all manner of books in math and astronomy, 146 00:08:21,680 --> 00:08:24,400 Speaker 1: and so he now had a whole new assortment of 147 00:08:24,480 --> 00:08:29,679 Speaker 1: resources to expand his knowledge and education. Later he used 148 00:08:29,720 --> 00:08:32,880 Speaker 1: these books, along with some tools that George loaned to him, 149 00:08:32,920 --> 00:08:36,320 Speaker 1: to predict to predict the April fourteenth, seventeen eighty nine 150 00:08:36,360 --> 00:08:40,760 Speaker 1: solar eclipse almost accurately. This is another thing that maybe 151 00:08:40,760 --> 00:08:44,400 Speaker 1: doesn't sound like a crazy accomplishment today because we know 152 00:08:44,520 --> 00:08:46,760 Speaker 1: when all the eclipses are happening and we can watch 153 00:08:46,800 --> 00:08:50,199 Speaker 1: them on the internet. Um, but most of the people 154 00:08:50,240 --> 00:08:53,040 Speaker 1: who were predicting an eclipse at that point would they 155 00:08:53,280 --> 00:08:56,800 Speaker 1: were predicting that one wrong. And and the almost in 156 00:08:56,880 --> 00:08:59,920 Speaker 1: his own calculations came from an error in one of 157 00:09:00,040 --> 00:09:03,439 Speaker 1: the textbooks, not from his own calculations. So he turned 158 00:09:03,480 --> 00:09:05,520 Speaker 1: out even though he wasn't right on the money with it, 159 00:09:05,640 --> 00:09:07,960 Speaker 1: his prediction was more accurate than a lot of the 160 00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:13,280 Speaker 1: more well known astronomers had made at the time. Reportedly, 161 00:09:13,600 --> 00:09:17,400 Speaker 1: he also had theorized that serious was actually two stars 162 00:09:17,440 --> 00:09:19,680 Speaker 1: instead of one, which it is, but at the time 163 00:09:19,720 --> 00:09:23,280 Speaker 1: it was believed to be just one heavenly body. In 164 00:09:23,440 --> 00:09:27,120 Speaker 1: seventeen ninety, George Washington appointed Benjamin to the team that 165 00:09:27,160 --> 00:09:30,240 Speaker 1: was going to survey the federal territory which would later 166 00:09:30,240 --> 00:09:34,160 Speaker 1: become Washington, d C. And Major Andrew Ellicott was also 167 00:09:34,400 --> 00:09:39,520 Speaker 1: on the team. In writing about this, Georgetown Weekly Ledger said, 168 00:09:39,679 --> 00:09:43,960 Speaker 1: quote Ellicott was attended by Benjamin Bannaker, an Ethiopian whose 169 00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:47,880 Speaker 1: abilities as a surveyor and an astronomer clearly proved that Mr. 170 00:09:47,960 --> 00:09:51,280 Speaker 1: Jefferson's concluding that race of men were void of mental 171 00:09:51,360 --> 00:09:55,960 Speaker 1: endowments was without foundation. That Mr Jefferson Jefferson, of course 172 00:09:55,960 --> 00:09:59,200 Speaker 1: being Thomas Jefferson. Yes, so he actually became quite an 173 00:09:59,200 --> 00:10:03,160 Speaker 1: ambassador for the non Caucasians that we're living in America 174 00:10:03,200 --> 00:10:06,520 Speaker 1: at the time. We'll talk about that more and just 175 00:10:06,600 --> 00:10:09,440 Speaker 1: a little bit, but we'll talk for a moment about 176 00:10:09,480 --> 00:10:12,680 Speaker 1: the survey work. First. There's a story that when Pierre 177 00:10:12,720 --> 00:10:16,160 Speaker 1: Lamphont left the Washington d C Project, he took all 178 00:10:16,160 --> 00:10:20,000 Speaker 1: the plans with him and then Benjamin recreated them from memory. 179 00:10:20,400 --> 00:10:24,040 Speaker 1: So modern historians think that this is probably an embellishment. 180 00:10:24,120 --> 00:10:27,679 Speaker 1: There aren't any documents at the time that confirm it. 181 00:10:27,679 --> 00:10:30,439 Speaker 1: It seems to have arisen a little bit later. Um 182 00:10:30,520 --> 00:10:33,760 Speaker 1: So while it's probably an apocryphal story, it speaks to 183 00:10:33,800 --> 00:10:37,600 Speaker 1: the reputation that he had developed for himself at this point. 184 00:10:38,600 --> 00:10:41,760 Speaker 1: And when Benjamin's parents passed away, they left him the 185 00:10:41,800 --> 00:10:45,520 Speaker 1: family farm, so he built himself a cabin there where 186 00:10:45,559 --> 00:10:48,760 Speaker 1: he could work, and he also had a study and 187 00:10:48,800 --> 00:10:50,960 Speaker 1: it had a skylight so he could continue to study 188 00:10:51,000 --> 00:10:54,960 Speaker 1: the stars. And when he was about sixty, Benjamin worked 189 00:10:54,960 --> 00:10:57,240 Speaker 1: out a deal with the Ellicott's for them to take 190 00:10:57,280 --> 00:10:59,920 Speaker 1: possession of his farm where he continued to live, in 191 00:11:00,080 --> 00:11:02,520 Speaker 1: exchange for a pension that he could live on so 192 00:11:02,559 --> 00:11:05,240 Speaker 1: that he could spend more time studying and writing. And 193 00:11:05,280 --> 00:11:08,559 Speaker 1: it was an arrangement very similar to today's reverse mortgages, 194 00:11:09,120 --> 00:11:11,480 Speaker 1: and sometimes it's actually referred to as the first reverse 195 00:11:11,520 --> 00:11:14,520 Speaker 1: mortgage in history, where he's kind of pre selling the 196 00:11:14,600 --> 00:11:17,320 Speaker 1: land that he's still living on because as we've talked 197 00:11:17,320 --> 00:11:20,599 Speaker 1: about in other podcasts. Sustaining yourself on a farm is 198 00:11:20,600 --> 00:11:23,560 Speaker 1: pretty much a full time, constant job, and he wanted 199 00:11:23,600 --> 00:11:25,959 Speaker 1: to have time to study and write. So he worked 200 00:11:25,960 --> 00:11:28,000 Speaker 1: out this deal where you know, they would get all 201 00:11:28,000 --> 00:11:29,760 Speaker 1: of his land upon his death. He could continue to 202 00:11:29,800 --> 00:11:33,079 Speaker 1: live there, but they would pay him some money every month. 203 00:11:33,480 --> 00:11:36,280 Speaker 1: He used some actuarial tables to do this. It turned 204 00:11:36,320 --> 00:11:39,080 Speaker 1: out he lived a little longer than expected, but it 205 00:11:39,160 --> 00:11:41,679 Speaker 1: was okay. They continued. They continued to pay him throughout 206 00:11:43,040 --> 00:11:47,559 Speaker 1: for six years. From seventeen seventeen ninety seven, Benjamin published 207 00:11:47,600 --> 00:11:51,080 Speaker 1: almanacs which were known as the Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and 208 00:11:51,200 --> 00:11:55,280 Speaker 1: Virginia Almanac and Ephemerous. He was the first African American 209 00:11:55,360 --> 00:11:58,920 Speaker 1: to publish an almanac, and those almanacs started out as 210 00:11:58,960 --> 00:12:02,720 Speaker 1: celestial tables and charts of planetary movements, and as with 211 00:12:02,800 --> 00:12:05,200 Speaker 1: other almanacs at the time, they mixed a lot of 212 00:12:05,240 --> 00:12:10,679 Speaker 1: different information into one book, including Benjamin's astronomy work, tied information, 213 00:12:11,040 --> 00:12:15,560 Speaker 1: medical knowledge, etcetera. And they also included a lot of essays, poems, 214 00:12:15,559 --> 00:12:19,280 Speaker 1: and literature, so they weren't just books of straight up facts. 215 00:12:19,320 --> 00:12:23,640 Speaker 1: They served uh an abolitionist purpose as well, since they 216 00:12:23,760 --> 00:12:27,120 Speaker 1: contained a collection of anti slavery speeches and essays, so 217 00:12:27,280 --> 00:12:31,400 Speaker 1: again going back to him being an ambassador for his people. 218 00:12:32,360 --> 00:12:35,120 Speaker 1: In the end, he published six of these almanacs and 219 00:12:35,160 --> 00:12:37,800 Speaker 1: twenty eight editions, and they received a lot of high 220 00:12:37,800 --> 00:12:40,360 Speaker 1: praise for being a very good quality, but they were 221 00:12:40,400 --> 00:12:44,000 Speaker 1: eventually discontinued due to low sales. And he had created 222 00:12:44,040 --> 00:12:48,360 Speaker 1: all of the ephemeris, which are star chart uh pieces, 223 00:12:48,679 --> 00:12:50,960 Speaker 1: as well as other astronomical work, all the way through 224 00:12:50,960 --> 00:12:54,480 Speaker 1: eighteen o four, but these later years weren't published. And 225 00:12:54,600 --> 00:12:57,040 Speaker 1: in addition to all of that writing, he also did 226 00:12:57,040 --> 00:13:00,640 Speaker 1: some work about seventeen year locusts and bees, which is 227 00:13:01,160 --> 00:13:03,960 Speaker 1: pertinent today since we're there's much talk in the news 228 00:13:03,960 --> 00:13:05,959 Speaker 1: about the seventeen year locust psyche. I know that was 229 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:08,560 Speaker 1: an accident. I was delighted when I stumbled across the 230 00:13:09,240 --> 00:13:11,079 Speaker 1: across the locust thing and went, well, this is going 231 00:13:11,120 --> 00:13:14,040 Speaker 1: to turn out to be particularly relevant because of locusts. 232 00:13:15,200 --> 00:13:17,600 Speaker 1: So a lot of his fame has to do with 233 00:13:17,679 --> 00:13:20,160 Speaker 1: his self taught education and his work as a scientist, 234 00:13:20,600 --> 00:13:23,800 Speaker 1: but he was also an abolitionist and an activist for peace. 235 00:13:24,760 --> 00:13:27,760 Speaker 1: His first almanac also recommended that the US government have 236 00:13:27,840 --> 00:13:31,160 Speaker 1: a Department of Peace, which finally happened about two hundred 237 00:13:31,240 --> 00:13:33,760 Speaker 1: years later when the founding of the US with the 238 00:13:33,760 --> 00:13:37,160 Speaker 1: founding of the U s Institutes of Peace. And Benjamin 239 00:13:37,200 --> 00:13:40,520 Speaker 1: also actively spoke and wrote about abolition before the US 240 00:13:40,520 --> 00:13:43,520 Speaker 1: really even had a strong abolitionist movement. He was a 241 00:13:43,520 --> 00:13:47,680 Speaker 1: complete for runner. Yeah In in seventee, he wrote to 242 00:13:47,720 --> 00:13:50,679 Speaker 1: Thomas Jefferson, who was at the time the Secretary of State, 243 00:13:50,720 --> 00:13:54,560 Speaker 1: about slavery. He enclosed this letter with a handwritten copy 244 00:13:54,679 --> 00:13:57,880 Speaker 1: of his not yet published almanac for that year. And 245 00:13:57,920 --> 00:14:01,480 Speaker 1: this was in part response to Jefferson's Notes on the 246 00:14:01,520 --> 00:14:05,400 Speaker 1: State of Virginia, in which Jefferson wrote at length about 247 00:14:05,440 --> 00:14:09,400 Speaker 1: what he considered to be the inferiority of blacks. And 248 00:14:09,480 --> 00:14:12,440 Speaker 1: in this letter he described who he was, and he 249 00:14:12,520 --> 00:14:15,880 Speaker 1: tried to appeal to Jefferson's better nature, and he wanted 250 00:14:15,920 --> 00:14:18,720 Speaker 1: to point out the inconsistency in the Founding Father's talk 251 00:14:18,800 --> 00:14:22,680 Speaker 1: about everyone being equal while still owning slaves and describing 252 00:14:22,720 --> 00:14:26,479 Speaker 1: blacks's inferior And he wrote about the young colonies attempting 253 00:14:26,800 --> 00:14:29,520 Speaker 1: to free themselves from the British crown and how the 254 00:14:29,560 --> 00:14:32,280 Speaker 1: government should be able to empathize with slaves having had 255 00:14:32,320 --> 00:14:35,400 Speaker 1: their own struggles for freedom. And he pointed out the 256 00:14:35,440 --> 00:14:37,960 Speaker 1: irony in the quote, we hold these truths to be 257 00:14:38,000 --> 00:14:40,400 Speaker 1: self evident, that all men are created equal, that they 258 00:14:40,400 --> 00:14:44,080 Speaker 1: are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, and 259 00:14:44,120 --> 00:14:47,280 Speaker 1: that among these are life liberty in the pursuit of happiness. 260 00:14:48,400 --> 00:14:51,080 Speaker 1: That's verily quite moving to me. Yeah, and he was 261 00:14:51,200 --> 00:14:54,000 Speaker 1: very articulate. Here's a selection from near the end of 262 00:14:54,000 --> 00:14:57,440 Speaker 1: the letter. I suppose that your knowledge of the situation 263 00:14:57,480 --> 00:14:59,960 Speaker 1: of my brethren is too extensive to need to recite 264 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:03,960 Speaker 1: know here. Neither shall I presume to prescribe methods by 265 00:15:04,040 --> 00:15:07,840 Speaker 1: which they may be relieved, otherwise than by recommending to 266 00:15:07,920 --> 00:15:11,080 Speaker 1: you and all others to wean yourself from these narrow 267 00:15:11,120 --> 00:15:15,200 Speaker 1: prejudices which you have imbibed with respect to them. And 268 00:15:15,240 --> 00:15:18,320 Speaker 1: as Job proposed to his friends, put your soul in 269 00:15:18,440 --> 00:15:22,360 Speaker 1: their souls stead. Thus shall your hearts be enlarged with 270 00:15:22,440 --> 00:15:25,840 Speaker 1: kindness and benevolence towards them. And just shall you need 271 00:15:26,120 --> 00:15:29,680 Speaker 1: neither the direction of myself for others in what manner 272 00:15:30,160 --> 00:15:34,040 Speaker 1: to proceed here in And so he's pretty much saying, 273 00:15:34,120 --> 00:15:38,640 Speaker 1: you can put yourself in our shoes. Use a little empathy. 274 00:15:38,920 --> 00:15:40,760 Speaker 1: You might look at this differently. He's pretty much I'm 275 00:15:40,760 --> 00:15:42,400 Speaker 1: not going to tell you that, but specifics of how 276 00:15:42,440 --> 00:15:44,280 Speaker 1: to do it. He's sort of just a simple step 277 00:15:44,600 --> 00:15:47,960 Speaker 1: of showing some empathy. And then he turns to a 278 00:15:48,080 --> 00:15:52,720 Speaker 1: rather more practical uh statement, because he says, and now, sir, 279 00:15:53,040 --> 00:15:56,640 Speaker 1: although my sympathy and affection for my brethren hath caused 280 00:15:56,640 --> 00:15:59,880 Speaker 1: my enlargement thus far, I ardently hope that your canned 281 00:16:00,200 --> 00:16:03,680 Speaker 1: and generosity will plead with you in my behalf. Then 282 00:16:03,680 --> 00:16:05,680 Speaker 1: I make known to you that it was not originally 283 00:16:05,720 --> 00:16:08,360 Speaker 1: my design, but having taken up my pen in order 284 00:16:08,400 --> 00:16:11,040 Speaker 1: to direct to you as a present a copy of 285 00:16:11,040 --> 00:16:13,880 Speaker 1: an almanac which I have calculated for the succeeding year, 286 00:16:14,240 --> 00:16:18,240 Speaker 1: I was unexpectedly and unavoidably lad there too, So I 287 00:16:18,280 --> 00:16:20,280 Speaker 1: had just meant to write you a note with my almanac. 288 00:16:20,840 --> 00:16:22,520 Speaker 1: But once I had a pen in my hand, once 289 00:16:22,560 --> 00:16:24,280 Speaker 1: I got going, I need to tell you the rest 290 00:16:24,280 --> 00:16:27,680 Speaker 1: of this too, And Jefferson replied to him. He responded 291 00:16:27,680 --> 00:16:30,200 Speaker 1: in less than two weeks, which at that time is 292 00:16:30,240 --> 00:16:35,520 Speaker 1: pretty quick turnaround, and the letter, which is dated August, says, 293 00:16:36,080 --> 00:16:38,960 Speaker 1: I thank you sincerely for your letter of the nineteenth 294 00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:42,720 Speaker 1: incitant and for the almanac it contained. Nobody wishes more 295 00:16:42,760 --> 00:16:45,160 Speaker 1: than I do to see such proofs as you exhibit, 296 00:16:45,400 --> 00:16:48,280 Speaker 1: that nature has given to our black brethren talents equal 297 00:16:48,360 --> 00:16:50,720 Speaker 1: to those of other colors of men, and that the 298 00:16:50,760 --> 00:16:53,320 Speaker 1: appearance of the want of them is owing merely to 299 00:16:53,360 --> 00:16:57,640 Speaker 1: the degraded condition of their existence, both in Africa and America. 300 00:16:57,840 --> 00:17:01,000 Speaker 1: I can add with truth that nobody wishes more ardently 301 00:17:01,080 --> 00:17:04,000 Speaker 1: to see a good system commenced for raising the condition 302 00:17:04,160 --> 00:17:06,280 Speaker 1: both of their body and mind to what it ought 303 00:17:06,359 --> 00:17:09,720 Speaker 1: to be. As far as the imbecility of their present existence, 304 00:17:09,800 --> 00:17:14,119 Speaker 1: and other circumstances which cannot be neglected will admit. Uh. 305 00:17:14,160 --> 00:17:15,920 Speaker 1: And then he goes on to say, I have taken 306 00:17:15,960 --> 00:17:19,719 Speaker 1: the liberty of sending your almanac to Monsieur Condozette, Secretary 307 00:17:19,760 --> 00:17:22,480 Speaker 1: of the Academy of Sciences at Paris and member of 308 00:17:22,480 --> 00:17:25,840 Speaker 1: the Philanthropic Thropic Society, because I considered it as a 309 00:17:25,880 --> 00:17:28,240 Speaker 1: document to which your whole color had a right for 310 00:17:28,280 --> 00:17:32,200 Speaker 1: their justification against the doubts which have been entertained of them. 311 00:17:32,240 --> 00:17:35,720 Speaker 1: I am with great esteem, sir, your most obedient, humble servants, 312 00:17:36,480 --> 00:17:40,080 Speaker 1: just really quite lovely. Yeah, it's simultaneously a lovely and 313 00:17:40,240 --> 00:17:46,280 Speaker 1: flattering letter without really acknowledging a lot of what was 314 00:17:46,400 --> 00:17:48,640 Speaker 1: pointed out to him in the first place, which continues 315 00:17:48,720 --> 00:17:51,440 Speaker 1: to be your running theme in in the subject of 316 00:17:51,480 --> 00:17:55,720 Speaker 1: Thomas Jefferson and slavery and race UM. And then Benjamin 317 00:17:55,760 --> 00:17:59,439 Speaker 1: put this whole correspondence in his almanac and you can 318 00:17:59,480 --> 00:18:00,959 Speaker 1: read it all on line. We will link to it 319 00:18:01,000 --> 00:18:04,919 Speaker 1: in the show notes. I wonder what Jefferson thought of that, Like, 320 00:18:04,960 --> 00:18:09,520 Speaker 1: I didn't mean that for everybody. I just don't know well. 321 00:18:09,560 --> 00:18:12,919 Speaker 1: And I know that there have been passed in the archive. 322 00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:16,080 Speaker 1: There are other episodes about Thomas Jefferson. And there has 323 00:18:16,119 --> 00:18:18,960 Speaker 1: been so much work at length about the subject of 324 00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:25,000 Speaker 1: Thomas Jefferson and race, like a whole giant field of discussion. 325 00:18:25,080 --> 00:18:27,720 Speaker 1: That there are people that spend their entire scholarly lives 326 00:18:27,720 --> 00:18:31,320 Speaker 1: studying nothing else, yes, but his relationship to racial issues. 327 00:18:32,680 --> 00:18:36,720 Speaker 1: So after his almanacs ceased to publish, and after his 328 00:18:36,760 --> 00:18:40,159 Speaker 1: work in Washington, d c. Was finished, Benjamin spent a 329 00:18:40,160 --> 00:18:43,360 Speaker 1: lot of his later life with study and writing UM. 330 00:18:43,400 --> 00:18:45,840 Speaker 1: After he had an illness in his later years, he 331 00:18:45,920 --> 00:18:48,160 Speaker 1: made arrangements for how he wanted all of his work 332 00:18:48,240 --> 00:18:51,080 Speaker 1: to be taken care of after his death, but unfortunately 333 00:18:51,280 --> 00:18:54,120 Speaker 1: much of it was destroyed when his house burned and 334 00:18:54,280 --> 00:19:00,439 Speaker 1: Benjamin Bannaker died approximately on October eighteen o six. I 335 00:19:00,480 --> 00:19:02,040 Speaker 1: know that we said at the top of the podcast. 336 00:19:02,080 --> 00:19:06,200 Speaker 1: Today there are schools and professorships and foundations named after him, 337 00:19:06,280 --> 00:19:09,480 Speaker 1: and he was put on a commemorative stamp in nineteen eighty. 338 00:19:09,840 --> 00:19:16,160 Speaker 1: So even though in the world of UH African American scientists, 339 00:19:16,200 --> 00:19:20,480 Speaker 1: in the world of early four runners of abolitionist movement 340 00:19:20,480 --> 00:19:23,359 Speaker 1: in America, he's maybe not one of the most prominent names, 341 00:19:23,840 --> 00:19:27,520 Speaker 1: he definitely had a legacy and and did some just 342 00:19:27,640 --> 00:19:32,760 Speaker 1: really amazing work, especially considering that he had almost no 343 00:19:32,880 --> 00:19:35,320 Speaker 1: formal education. Well, and he was so ahead of his 344 00:19:35,400 --> 00:19:40,080 Speaker 1: time on most yeah, I mean scientifically, mathematically abolition He 345 00:19:40,240 --> 00:19:44,439 Speaker 1: was like many steps ahead of the rest of the 346 00:19:44,480 --> 00:19:47,920 Speaker 1: people around him. Yes, it was quite be why he's 347 00:19:47,920 --> 00:19:50,280 Speaker 1: not always associated with those things. He's kind of too 348 00:19:50,280 --> 00:19:53,720 Speaker 1: early to play an obvious part in the bigger stage 349 00:19:54,080 --> 00:19:57,600 Speaker 1: and things really heated up. Yeah, I am quite fond 350 00:19:57,640 --> 00:20:00,840 Speaker 1: of him now, I'd love his story. Knew very little 351 00:20:00,840 --> 00:20:04,359 Speaker 1: about him before I started researching, and uh, of course 352 00:20:04,400 --> 00:20:07,359 Speaker 1: I'm always fond of scientists who like to study things 353 00:20:07,400 --> 00:20:12,480 Speaker 1: like stars and bees. Who wouldn't do you have some 354 00:20:12,600 --> 00:20:15,479 Speaker 1: listener mail for us? Indeed I do. This is a 355 00:20:15,520 --> 00:20:21,000 Speaker 1: listener correction mail because I made an error. So this 356 00:20:21,080 --> 00:20:25,080 Speaker 1: is from Ricky. Ricky is writing about a prior listener 357 00:20:25,119 --> 00:20:28,560 Speaker 1: mail that came at the end of our episode about 358 00:20:28,600 --> 00:20:32,919 Speaker 1: the cannibalism in Jamestown. Um and So, Rickie says, I 359 00:20:32,960 --> 00:20:35,399 Speaker 1: have just listened to your episode about Jamestown and I 360 00:20:35,440 --> 00:20:37,639 Speaker 1: wanted to respond to the listener mail you played at 361 00:20:37,640 --> 00:20:40,400 Speaker 1: the end of the podcast. We were talking about Emily. 362 00:20:40,840 --> 00:20:43,640 Speaker 1: So in the movie Emily and the character who has 363 00:20:43,640 --> 00:20:46,520 Speaker 1: brittle bones or thinks he does, you mentioned that you 364 00:20:46,520 --> 00:20:49,200 Speaker 1: always thought this character had a disease called FOP, which 365 00:20:49,200 --> 00:20:51,679 Speaker 1: causes brittle bones. I just wanted to let you know 366 00:20:51,720 --> 00:20:55,320 Speaker 1: that you have your diseases mixed up. Osteo genesis imperfecta 367 00:20:55,640 --> 00:20:59,719 Speaker 1: or oh I causes brittle bones, whereas fiber displaysia asific 368 00:20:59,800 --> 00:21:03,440 Speaker 1: him perceiva or FOP causes muscles to turn into boom. 369 00:21:03,480 --> 00:21:06,280 Speaker 1: I just happened to have friends with both conditions, as 370 00:21:06,320 --> 00:21:08,960 Speaker 1: I have a rare disability myself and us oddballs tend 371 00:21:08,960 --> 00:21:12,080 Speaker 1: to stick together. So, first of all, thank you, so much, Ricky. 372 00:21:12,520 --> 00:21:16,119 Speaker 1: And secondly, I apologize, I totally add my acronyms and 373 00:21:16,240 --> 00:21:20,280 Speaker 1: mixed up in my head. Well, and those happened, they do, 374 00:21:20,400 --> 00:21:22,760 Speaker 1: and those are two We have articles on both of 375 00:21:22,800 --> 00:21:27,639 Speaker 1: those conditions on the website and they were written by 376 00:21:27,640 --> 00:21:31,159 Speaker 1: the same writer near the same time, and that is 377 00:21:31,200 --> 00:21:36,760 Speaker 1: how assigned to those yeah, so that they sort of 378 00:21:36,840 --> 00:21:43,440 Speaker 1: became one massive neurological, muscular skeletal thing all in my head. 379 00:21:44,200 --> 00:21:47,480 Speaker 1: So I apologize for that error, and thank you Ricky 380 00:21:47,560 --> 00:21:49,679 Speaker 1: for writing. If you want to read about either of 381 00:21:49,680 --> 00:21:53,920 Speaker 1: those two diseases, you can at our website. You can 382 00:21:53,960 --> 00:21:55,800 Speaker 1: also talk to us in a lot of other ways. 383 00:21:55,880 --> 00:21:57,760 Speaker 1: You can email us if you would like. We are 384 00:21:57,760 --> 00:22:00,840 Speaker 1: at History Podcasts at Discovery dot com. We're also on 385 00:22:00,880 --> 00:22:04,120 Speaker 1: Facebook at facebook dot com slash history class Stuff, and 386 00:22:04,240 --> 00:22:07,119 Speaker 1: on Twitter at Mission History. You can find our tumbler 387 00:22:07,200 --> 00:22:09,720 Speaker 1: at misson History dot tumbler dot com, and we are 388 00:22:09,800 --> 00:22:13,560 Speaker 1: also on Pinterest. If you would like to learn more 389 00:22:13,680 --> 00:22:16,920 Speaker 1: about this subject or things related to it, you can 390 00:22:16,920 --> 00:22:19,119 Speaker 1: come to our website put the word math in the 391 00:22:19,160 --> 00:22:22,879 Speaker 1: search bar. 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