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What Are You Figuring Now?: A Story About Benjamin Banneker
A biography of the Afro-American farmer and self-taught mathematician, astronomer, and surveyor for the new capital city of the United States in 1791, who also calculated a successful almanac notable for its preciseness.
64 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 6, 2023
This book was written in the 1980s but is still a good overview of Benjamin Banneker’s life. There’s way more information in here about him then I ever remembered learning about him in school as a kid—he helped survey the lines for Washington DC, he calculated all the figures for his annual almanac (which ran for several years), and he wrote a letter to Thomas Jefferson about the abolition of slavery. A great short biography of a free Black man in the 1700s to add to your kids’ history education.
April 21, 2026
Read for the Alveary - I thought this was a great book! I had never heard of Benjamin Banneker so I appreciated the new information that celebrated his character and his hard work!
March 6, 2021
A must read for everyone.
He built a wooden clock that rang every hour.
A surveyor had to understand astronomy. This lead to his love of astronomy. He predicted an eclipse of the sun and other solar events which lead him to creating his own almanac.
George Washington hire Pierre L'Enfant to survey the land overlooking the Potomac River. The surveyor had to lay out the straight lines for the 10-square-mile cite. He had to plot a perfect line running north and south using the stars, his instruments, his astronomical clock and his calculations. Then he had to cross it with a perfect line running east and west. The capitol was to be built on the hill where the two lines crossed. The surveyor needed someone who knew astronomy, surveying, math and figuring - Benjamin Banneker.
He copied his almanac four times to send to the Georgetown printer whose newspaper published an .article about him, to James Pemberton (a printer in Philadelphia), Maryland Journal, and to Pemberton in Philly who sent it to the most important scientist in the US, David Rittenhouse. He copied his almanac a fifth time along with a letter against slavery to send to Thomas Jefferson Secretary of State. Jefferson sent Banneker's almanac to the Academy of Sciences at Paris, France, as proof of what American blacks could do. Two of the printers wanted to publish his almanac for 1792. Banneker's 1793 almanac include his letter to Thomas Jefferson and Jefferson's reply, as well as a speech by Sir William Pitt about stopping slavery. After six years of making almanacs, he stopped, but never said why.
In 1800, he predicted that there would be an eclipse on Oct 18 of that year. No other astronomer agreed, so Benjamin wrote "the mistake may be in me." On Oct 18,1800, there was an eclipse.
He built a wooden clock that rang every hour.
A surveyor had to understand astronomy. This lead to his love of astronomy. He predicted an eclipse of the sun and other solar events which lead him to creating his own almanac.
George Washington hire Pierre L'Enfant to survey the land overlooking the Potomac River. The surveyor had to lay out the straight lines for the 10-square-mile cite. He had to plot a perfect line running north and south using the stars, his instruments, his astronomical clock and his calculations. Then he had to cross it with a perfect line running east and west. The capitol was to be built on the hill where the two lines crossed. The surveyor needed someone who knew astronomy, surveying, math and figuring - Benjamin Banneker.
He copied his almanac four times to send to the Georgetown printer whose newspaper published an .article about him, to James Pemberton (a printer in Philadelphia), Maryland Journal, and to Pemberton in Philly who sent it to the most important scientist in the US, David Rittenhouse. He copied his almanac a fifth time along with a letter against slavery to send to Thomas Jefferson Secretary of State. Jefferson sent Banneker's almanac to the Academy of Sciences at Paris, France, as proof of what American blacks could do. Two of the printers wanted to publish his almanac for 1792. Banneker's 1793 almanac include his letter to Thomas Jefferson and Jefferson's reply, as well as a speech by Sir William Pitt about stopping slavery. After six years of making almanacs, he stopped, but never said why.
In 1800, he predicted that there would be an eclipse on Oct 18 of that year. No other astronomer agreed, so Benjamin wrote "the mistake may be in me." On Oct 18,1800, there was an eclipse.
November 15, 2018
This biography tells the story of Benjamin Banneker, a remarkable man who both helped survey and lay out the street grid of Washington D.C. and created his own almanac for several years. Banneker worked on a farm he inherited from his grandparents while also practicing astronomy and advanced mathematics. I would put this book in a third or fourth grade classroom. While Banneker was never a slave himself, his grandfather was a slave, so the book also deals lightly with Benjamin's life as a free black man during a time when slavery was prevalent; this can be a good introduction to slavery as a concept for students.
August 21, 2019
Short, pleasant kids biography of an impressive, self-taught man.
October 22, 2020
I knew nothing of this story and really appreciate it being presented to children nowadays. Kudos to the author and publisher.
February 25, 2025
This was a quick read. A good one too. Very informative and just enough for the kids to understand. I will be reading more books in this series.
November 10, 2012
Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com
Benjamin Banneker was raised on a farm in Maryland. Growing up, he counted everything. He learned to read and constantly wanted to know more. He worked hard growing tobacco and fishing, but he wanted more than that out of his life. When a Quaker moved in nearby and started a school, Benjamin was permitted to attend. He lasted there about four years, until he learned all the Quaker had to teach him.
One day in town, he encountered a man he knew. The man had a watch that he let Benjamin borrow. Benjamin spent many hours taking the watch apart and documenting how all the pieces worked and fit together. It took Benjamin two years, but he recreated the watch and built his own working clock.
People talked, and soon many wanted to come and see the man that built the clock.
Life went on like this for Benjamin. He discovered something new and then had to master it. It was his mastery of astronomy and surveying that eventually landed him in the midst of President Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Benjamin was now part of the team that would design the layout of the new capital in Washington.
Benjamin had only a basic education by today's standards, but Ms. Ferris goes on to document the amazing accomplishments one man made on his own. She shows what hard work and perseverance can accomplish.
Benjamin Banneker was raised on a farm in Maryland. Growing up, he counted everything. He learned to read and constantly wanted to know more. He worked hard growing tobacco and fishing, but he wanted more than that out of his life. When a Quaker moved in nearby and started a school, Benjamin was permitted to attend. He lasted there about four years, until he learned all the Quaker had to teach him.
One day in town, he encountered a man he knew. The man had a watch that he let Benjamin borrow. Benjamin spent many hours taking the watch apart and documenting how all the pieces worked and fit together. It took Benjamin two years, but he recreated the watch and built his own working clock.
People talked, and soon many wanted to come and see the man that built the clock.
Life went on like this for Benjamin. He discovered something new and then had to master it. It was his mastery of astronomy and surveying that eventually landed him in the midst of President Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Benjamin was now part of the team that would design the layout of the new capital in Washington.
Benjamin had only a basic education by today's standards, but Ms. Ferris goes on to document the amazing accomplishments one man made on his own. She shows what hard work and perseverance can accomplish.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews