Benjamin Banneker (1731–1806) was an influential African American intellectual in early America. Born free in Maryland, Banneker became an accomplished mathematician, astronomer, surveyor, and writer. In 1791, Banneker was selected to be part of team approved by George Washington to survey and plan the new national capital at Washington, DC; a park in the city was eventually named in his honor. Banneker was best known for the almanacs he published from 1791 to 1797; he sent a copy of his first almanac to Thomas Jefferson, challenging the...