Benjamin Banneker was a free African American almanac author, surveyor, and farmer. He is best known for his part in surveying the boundaries of the original District of Columbia, the federal capital. Banneker was largely self-taught in mathematics and astronomy. In 1792, he began publishing a series of successful almanacs that included his own astronomical calculations for eclipses and tides. He famously wrote a letter to Thomas Jefferson, then Secretary of State, politely challenging Jefferson’s views on the intellectual inferiority of Black people and using his own almanac as evidence of their capabilities. Jefferson responded with praise, sending the almanac to the French Academy of Sciences. Banneker remains a significant figure for his scientific achievements and his early advocacy for racial equality during the founding era of the United States.