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Dear Benjamin Banneker
by Andrea Davis Pinkney
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An introduction to the life of Benjamin Banneker, a free African American born in the United States during the time of slavery. Banneker's parents were tobacco farmers in Maryland and when he grew up he followed in their footsteps. In addition to running the farm, Banneker also studied astronomy and mathematics and wrote an almanac--the first ever written by an African American. Although he was free, slavery still frustrated him and so in 1791 he wrote to Thomas Jefferson, then the secretary of state, to protest slavery and bring Jefferson himself to task for owning slaves. Excerpts from this letter and Jefferson's response appear within the story. Oil-and-scratchboard illustrations accompany the text.
Available editions of Dear Benjamin Banneker
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9780152018924,
Paperback,
Sandpiper,
1998
Other copies of 9780152018924 |
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9780613099417,
Prebinding,
Bt Bound,
1999
None currently available |
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9780152004170,
Reinforced Hardcover,
Harcourt Childrens Books,
1994
Other copies of 9780152004170 |
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Publisher Notes
Benjamin Banneker was born free when most blacks were still enslaved. A self-taught mathematician and astronomer, he was the author of the first published almanac written by a black man. Throughout his life Bannecker was troubled that all blacks were not free. So, in 1791, he sent a letter to Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson. Here is the extraordinary correspondence between the two men. Full-color illustrations.
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