Benjamin Banneker & Paul Cuffee

Benjamin Banneker was a remarkable free African American who lived from November 9, 1731, to October 9, 1806. He was a scientist, surveyor, almanac author, and farmer who was born in Baltimore County, Maryland. Despite receiving little formal education, Banneker was largely self-taught and became part of a group led by Major Andrew Ellicott that surveyed the borders of the original District of Columbia, the federal capital district of the United States.

Banneker was particularly knowledgeable about astronomy, which helped him to author a commercially successful series of almanacs. He corresponded with Thomas Jefferson, drafter of the United States Declaration of Independence, on the topics of slavery and racial equality. Banneker's works were praised and promoted by abolitionists and advocates of racial equality, and over the years, parks, schools, streets, and other tributes have been named after him to commemorate his contributions.

However, some accounts of Benjamin Banneker's life exaggerate or attribute works to him falsely. In 1753, at the age of 22, Banneker completed a wooden clock that could strike on the hour. He seems to have created this clock by carving each piece to scale after borrowing a pocket watch for reference. The clock remained functional until Banneker's death. During his time in Ellicott's Mills, Banneker used his knowledge of astronomy to predict solar and lunar eclipses, which he included in his ephemeris.

Order custom essay Benjamin Banneker & Paul Cuffee with free plagiarism report

450+ experts on 30 subjects Starting from 3 hours delivery

Get Essay Help

He compiled the ephemeris, along with revisions, into a six-year series of almanacs that were printed and sold in six cities across four states from 1792 through 1797: Baltimore, Philadelphia, Wilmington, Delaware, Alexandria, Virginia, Petersburg, Virginia, and Richmond, Virginia. Additionally, Banneker maintained a series of journals that contained his notebooks for astronomical observations and his diary. The notebooks included various mathematical calculations and puzzles as well.

Paul Cuffee (1759-1817) was a businessman, sea captain, patriot, and abolitionist who hailed from a mixed Aquinnah Wampanoag and African Ashanti background. He played a pivotal role in the colonization of Sierra Leone and established a successful shipping enterprise. Additionally, Cuffee founded the first racially integrated school in Westport, Massachusetts and was a devoted Christian who frequently preached and spoke at the multi-racial Society of Friends meeting house in the area.

He even donated a significant portion of the funds to build a new meeting house in 1813. Cuffee was instrumental in the British initiative to resettle freed slaves, who had relocated to Nova Scotia after the American Revolution, to Sierra Leone. To provide financial assistance for the colony, he helped establish The Friendly Society of Sierra Leone. Despite initially knowing little more than the alphabet, Cuffee was determined to gain an education and become involved in the shipping industry from a young age, which he ultimately achieved through his hard work and perseverance.

The American whaling industry centered in New Bedford, Massachusetts was the closest mainland port to Cuttyhunk. During his limited free time, Paul Cuffee sought out sailors to learn more about ships and sailing. At the age of 16, he signed onto a whaling ship and later cargo ships, where he developed his navigation skills. He began referring to himself as a mariner in his journal. During the American Revolution in 1776, he was captured by the British and held prisoner for three months in New York.

Upon his release, he returned to Massachusetts, where he farmed and continued his studies. In 1779, he and his brother David built a small boat and began delivering cargo to nearby coasts and islands. Despite his brother's reluctance to sail in dangerous seas, Cuffee made a successful solo voyage to Nantucket in 1779. He encountered pirates on subsequent trips but eventually turned a profit on another trip to Nantucket.

Don't let plagiarism ruin your grade

Run a free check or have your essay done for you

Check my essay Hire Writer