BENJAMIN BANNEKER

ABOUT BANNEKER

• He was born on November 9, 1731 near Ellicott's Lower Mills, Maryland
• His ancestors were originally from Ethiopia
• He was a free African-American tobacco farmer
• He gained fame by compiling almanacs

HARDSHIPS

• Banneker's biggest challenge was being African-American.
• People thought little of him because of the color of his skin.
• He had little formal education

QUOTE

• "The color of the skin is in no way connected with the strength of the mind or intellectual powers"
• -Benjamin Banneker

CONTRIBUTIONS

• He designed Washington D.C.
• This is the blueprint he made

PERSONALITY

• He was determined to succeed no matter what people said
• He was very smart and was mostly self-taught

QUESTIONS

• Why did people think little of him at first?
• How did he change the view of African-Americans?
• What was his biggest contribution?