15. Benjamin Banneker’s extensive mythology grows with each succeeding year
Much of what is reported regarding Benjamin Banneker is based on urban myths, which grow with repetition every year. For example, he did not lay out the streets of the Capital city of Washington, as is so often reported. Other urban myths include his making of a case clock using the works of a pocket watch as his guide. Others refer to astronomical studies, his publication of the first almanac in America, and that Banneker was the first to document the 17-year cicada cycle. All are false, and unfortunately so, because they distract attention from Banneker’s very real accomplishments. Banneker served on the surveying team which established the ten-mile sides of the District of Columbia in 1791, under the direction of Andrew Ellicott. His actual role is unknown.
Banneker served on the team for only three months, leaving far before its completion, and had nothing whatsoever to do with the layout of the Capital City’s streets. He did correspond with Thomas Jefferson, using the phrases of the Declaration of Independence to excoriate Jefferson over the treatment of slaves. He did produce several almanacs which contained accurate predictions of astronomic events for the year. Most of the physical evidence of his life’s work was destroyed when a fire destroyed his log cabin on the day of his funeral. During his lifetime, praise for his almanacs centered on their accuracy, and the fact they were produced by a Black man. Lifted to mythological status by abolitionists in the early 19th century, Banneker became a symbol of proof of equality in arguments with white supremacists.