Biography of Benjamin Banneker, Author and Naturalist

Biography of Benjamin Banneker, Author and Naturalist Benjamin Banneker (November 9, 1731–October 9, 1806) was a self-educated scientist, astronomer, inventor, writer, and antislavery publicist. He built a striking clock entirely from wood, published a farmers almanac, and actively campaigned against slavery. He was one of the first African Americans to gain distinction for achievements in science. Fast Facts: Benjamin Banneker Known For: Banneker was a writer, inventor, and naturalist who published a series of farmers almanacs in the late 1700s.Born: November 9, 1731 in Baltimore County, MarylandParents: Robert and Mary BannekyDied: October 9, 1806 in Oella, MarylandPublished Works: Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia Almanack and Ephemeris, for the Year of our Lord, 1792Notable Quote: â€Å"The color of the skin is in no way connected with strength of the mind or intellectual powers.† Early Life Benjamin Banneker was born on November 9, 1731, in Baltimore County, Maryland. Although he was born a free man, he was the descendant of slaves. At that time, the law dictated that if your mother was a slave then you were a slave, and if she was a free woman then you were a free person. Bannekers grandmother Molly Walsh was a bi-racial English immigrant and an indentured servant who married an African slave named Banna Ka, who had been brought to the Colonies by a slave trader. Molly had served seven years as an indentured servant before she acquired and worked on her own small farm. Molly Walsh purchased her future husband Banna Ka and another African to work on her farm. The name Banna Ka was later changed to Bannaky and then changed to Banneker. Benjamins mother Mary Banneker was born free. Benjamins father Rodger was a former slave who had bought his own freedom before marrying Mary. Education Banneker was educated by Quakers, but most of his education was self-taught. He quickly revealed to the world his inventive nature and first achieved national acclaim for his scientific work in the 1791 survey of the Federal Territory (now Washington, D.C.). In 1753, he built one of the first watches made in America, a wooden pocket watch. Twenty years later, Banneker began making astronomical calculations that enabled him to successfully forecast a 1789 solar eclipse. His estimate, made well in advance of the celestial event, contradicted predictions of better-known mathematicians and astronomers. Bannekers mechanical and mathematical abilities impressed many, including Thomas Jefferson, who encountered Banneker after George Elliot had recommended him for the surveying team that laid out Washington, D.C. Almanacs Banneker is best known for his six annual farmers almanacs, which he published between 1792 and 1797. In his free time, Banneker began compiling the Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia Almanac and Ephemeris. The almanacs included information on medicines and medical treatment and listed tides, astronomical information, and eclipses, all calculated by Banneker himself. Many historians believe that the first printed almanac dates to 1457 and was printed by Gutenberg in Mentz, Germany. Benjamin Franklin published his Poor Richards Almanacs in America from 1732 to 1758. Franklin used the assumed name of Richard Saunders and wrote witty maxims in his almanacs such as Light purse, heavy heart and Hunger never saw bad bread. Bannekers almanacs, though they appeared later, were more focused on delivering accurate information than on communicating Bannekers personal views. Letter to Thomas Jefferson On August 19, 1791, Banneker sent a copy of his first almanac to Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson. In an enclosed letter, he questioned the slaveholders sincerity as a friend to liberty. He urged Jefferson to help get rid of absurd and false ideas that one race is superior to another. Banneker wished Jeffersons sentiments to be the same as his, that one Universal Father...afforded us all the same sensations and endowed us all with the same faculties. Jefferson responded with praise for Bannekers accomplishments: I thank you sincerely for your letter of the 19th and for the Almanac it contained. No body wishes more than I do to see such proofs as you exhibit, that nature has given to our black brethren, talents equal to those of the other colours of men, that the appearance of a want of them is owing merely to the degraded condition of their existence both in Africa America...I have taken the liberty of sending your almanac to Monsieur de Condorcet, Secretary of the Academy of sciences at Paris, and member of the Philanthropic society because I considered it as a document to which your whole colour had a right for their justification against the doubts which have been entertained of them. Jefferson later sent a letter to the Marquis de Condorcet informing him about Banneker- a very respectable mathematician- and his work with Andrew Ellicott, the surveyor who marked the boundaries of the Territory of Columbia (later the District of Columbia). Death Declining almanac sales eventually forced Banneker to give up his work. He died at home on October 9, 1806, at the age of 74. Banneker was buried at Mount Gilboa  African Methodist Episcopal Church  in  Oella, Maryland. Legacy Bannekers life became the source of legend after his death, with many attributing certain accomplishments to him for which there is little or no evidence in the historical record. His inventions and almanacs inspired later generations, and in 1980 the U.S. Postal Service issued a stamp in his honor as part of the Black Heritage series. In 1996, a number of Bannekers personal belongings were auctioned, and some of them were later loaned to the Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum. Some of Bannekers personal manuscripts, including the only journal  that survived the 1806 fire that destroyed his home, are in the possession of the Maryland Historical Society. Sources Cerami, Charles A.  Benjamin Banneker Surveyor, Astronomer, Publisher, Patriot. John Wiley, 2002.Miller, John Chester.  The Wolf by the Ears: Thomas Jefferson and Slavery. University Press of Virginia, 1995.Weatherly, Myra.  Benjamin Banneker: American Scientific Pioneer. Compass Point Books, 2006.

Free Essays on Goodman Brown

Young Goodman Brown – From Naivety to Maturity Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Young Goodman Brown is story illustrating the moral principle of good versus evil. Hawthorne uses symbolism and irony to relay his feelings towards man’s natural appetite for evil and the battle to avoid it in ones own heart. Following these literary elements takes the reader through a dream allegory filled with religious hypocrisy. Locating and examining the two most prominent symbols throughout the story allows the reader to experience how the attempted conversion of Young Goodman Brown results in a transformation from naivety to maturity. The first use of symbolism comes in the form of the names of Young Goodman Brown and his wife, Faith. Young in the name literally means that the main character is a young man. Hawthorne textually declares this when he writes’ â€Å"†¦young Goodman Brown†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (pg104). Goodman in the name symbolizes that he is a spiritual and good person. With Brown being such a common last name, it symbolizes that Goodman could be anyone or everyone. The name Faith has a dual symbolic meaning. It literally means religious faith and also represents Goodman Brown’s personal faith and religious convictions. This is apparent when Brown states, â€Å"My love and my Faith of all the nights in this year, this one night must I tarry from thee†(pg104). Here, Goodman Brown is referring to leaving his wife and his faith in God. Initially, Faith also represents youth as identified when Goodman Brown, â€Å"†¦put his head back, after crossing the threshold, to ex change a parting kiss with his young wife†(pg104). Though not understood until latter, it is this idea of a young good wife that reveals that Goodman’s initial state of naivety. Goodman is asked by his wife to stay home and not go on the journey. He thinks that she does not know about his journey to meet with the devil and thinks, â€Å"Methought as she spoke there... Free Essays on Goodman Brown Free Essays on Goodman Brown Young Goodman Brown – From Naivety to Maturity Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Young Goodman Brown is story illustrating the moral principle of good versus evil. Hawthorne uses symbolism and irony to relay his feelings towards man’s natural appetite for evil and the battle to avoid it in ones own heart. Following these literary elements takes the reader through a dream allegory filled with religious hypocrisy. Locating and examining the two most prominent symbols throughout the story allows the reader to experience how the attempted conversion of Young Goodman Brown results in a transformation from naivety to maturity. The first use of symbolism comes in the form of the names of Young Goodman Brown and his wife, Faith. Young in the name literally means that the main character is a young man. Hawthorne textually declares this when he writes’ â€Å"†¦young Goodman Brown†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (pg104). Goodman in the name symbolizes that he is a spiritual and good person. With Brown being such a common last name, it symbolizes that Goodman could be anyone or everyone. The name Faith has a dual symbolic meaning. It literally means religious faith and also represents Goodman Brown’s personal faith and religious convictions. This is apparent when Brown states, â€Å"My love and my Faith of all the nights in this year, this one night must I tarry from thee†(pg104). Here, Goodman Brown is referring to leaving his wife and his faith in God. Initially, Faith also represents youth as identified when Goodman Brown, â€Å"†¦put his head back, after crossing the threshold, to ex change a parting kiss with his young wife†(pg104). Though not understood until latter, it is this idea of a young good wife that reveals that Goodman’s initial state of naivety. Goodman is asked by his wife to stay home and not go on the journey. He thinks that she does not know about his journey to meet with the devil and thinks, â€Å"Methought as she spoke there...

Climate, geography, income per capita and growth Literature review

Climate, geography, income per capita and growth - Literature review Example Geography and environment has a closer impact on socio-economic development of a region. Historical data has revealed that geography has some effect on shaping the economic history. However, the amount of variance is an important consideration. Tropics are varied by braod climatic zones and economies as well (Torres & Mendez, 2000; 2002, Inter-American Development Bank, 2000). As a result, the research would identify the key geographical and climatic factors from the national database and analyze its relationship with income per person longitudinal data for a time period of 1950 to 2014. This paper will analyze this variance to test and interpret the condition of multicollinearity using a regression analysis, as some geographical factors might be highly correlated impacting the ultimate results. Analyzing the relationship between the major geographical features, such as altitude, climate, topography on the economic growth and prosperity with individual municipal incomes and their inequalities. Previous research has established a close relationship between economic development and geographical characteristics, such as topography, altitude, precipitation, temperature and rainfall etc., of a region. In this pretext, the tropical economies have lower income levels and growth rates than rest of the world. Temperate regions are more prosperous in this respect. The impact of geography on economic performance was considered exogenous for a very long time by economists (Rodrik & Trebbi, 2004). In fact there are direct channels influencing the effect of geography on productivity (Fujita, Krugman & Venables, 1999; Gallup, Sachs & Mellinger, 1999), in terms of productivity of primary activities, such as agriculture, farming, mining, fishing and forestry (Safford & Palacios, 2002). The classical Malthusian theory has stressed on how extremes of climate and temperature might diminish the productivity of labor as a consequence of spillovers and positive