The exceptional life of Benjamin Banneker - Rose-Margaret Ekeng-Itua

Translator: Putri Hapsari Reviewer: Lanny Yunita

Sometime in the early 1750s,

Sekitar awal tahun 1750-an,

a 22-year-old man named Benjamin Banneker

pria 22 tahun bernama Benjamin Banneker

sat industriously carving cogs and gears out of wood.

duduk tenang membuat roda gigi dari kayu.

He pieced the parts together

Lalu ia menyusun semuanya

to create the complex inner working of a striking clock

untuk membuat mesin jam kompleks

that would, hopefully, chime every hour.

yang diharapkannya bisa berdentang tiap jam.

All he had to help him was a pocket watch for inspiration

Yang dibutuhkannya hanyalah sebuah jam saku untuk inspirasi

and his own calculations.

dan perhitungannya sendiri.

And yet, his careful engineering worked.

Akan tetapi, tekniknya berhasil.

Striking clocks had already been around for hundreds of years,

Jam dentang sudah ada sejak lama,

but Banneker's may have been the first created in America,

tetapi jam milik Banneker mungkin yang pertama di Amerika,

and it drew fascinated visitors from across the country.

yang menarik perhatian orang dari seluruh penjuru negeri.

In a show of his brilliance,

Atas kecerdasannya,

the clock continued to chime for the rest of Banneker's life.

jam itu terus berdentang sepanjang hidupnya.

Born in 1731 to freed slaves on a farm in Baltimore, Maryland,

Lahir tahun 1731 dari budak merdeka di Baltimore, Maryland,

from his earliest days,

sejak masih kecil,

the young Banneker was obsessed with math and science.

Banneker sudah terobsesi dengan matematika dan sains.

And his appetite for knowledge only grew as he taught himself astronomy,

Keingintahuannya akan ilmu kian menjadi saat dia belajar astronomi,

mathematics,

matematika,

engineering,

teknik,

and the study of the natural world.

dan ilmu alam.

As an adult, he used astronomy to accurately predict

Setelah dewasa, dia memakai astronomi untuk memperkirakan

lunar and solar events,

peristiwa bulan dan matahari,

like the solar eclipse of 1789,

seperti gerhana matahari tahun 1789,

and even applied his mathematical skills to land use planning.

dan keahlian matematikanya dipakai untuk perencanaan pemakaian tanah.

These talents caught the eye of a local Baltimore businessman, Andrew Ellicott,

Bakatnya menarik perhatian pebisnis lokal Baltimore, Andrew Ellicott,

who was also the Surveyor General of the United States.

yang juga seorang Jenderal Peninjau di Amerika Serikat.

Recognizing Banneker's skills in 1791,

Melihat keahlian Banneker di tahun 1791,

Ellicott appointed him as an assistant to work on a prestigious new project,

Ellicott menunjuknya sebagai asisten dalam sebuah proyek prestisius,

planning the layout of the nation's capitol.

yaitu merencanakan tata kota ibu kota negara.

Meanwhile, Banneker turned his brilliant mind to farming.

Sementara itu, Banneker mengarahkan otak cerdasnya ke perkebunan.

He used his scientific expertise to pioneer new agricultural methods

Dia memakai keahlian sainsnya untuk memulai metode pertanian baru

on his family's tobacco farm.

di perkebunan tembakau keluarganya.

His fascination with the natural world

Rasa takjubnya pada alam

also led to a study on the plague life cycle of locusts.

mendorongnya mempelajari siklus hidup wabah belalang.

Then in 1792, Banneker began publishing almanacs.

Di tahun 1792, Banneker mulai menerbitkan almanak.

These provided detailed annual information on moon and sun cycles,

Almanak itu berisi informasi tahunan siklus bulan dan matahari yang rinci,

weather forecasts,

perkiraan cuaca,

and planting and tidal time tables.

serta jadwal tanam dan pasang surut.

Banneker sent a handwritten copy of his first almanac

Banneker mengirim salinan tulisan tangan almanak pertamanya

to Virginia's Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson.

ke Sekretaris Negara Bagian Virginia, Thomas Jefferson.

This was a decade before Jefferson became president.

Saat itu sepuluh tahun sebelum Jefferson menjadi presiden.

Banneker included a letter imploring Jefferson to

Banneker mencantumkan surat yang memohon Jefferson untuk

"embrace every opportunity to eradicate

"merangkul tiap kesempatan untuk memberantas

that train of absurd and false ideas and opinions"

ide-ide dan opini yang konyol dan keliru"

that caused prejudice against black people.

yang menyebabkan prasangka yang merugikan orang kulit hitam.

Jefferson read the almanac and wrote back in praise of Banneker's work.

Jefferson membaca almanak itu dan memuji karya Banneker di balasan suratnya.

Banneker's correspondence with the future president

Korespondensi mereka berdua

is now considered to be one of the first documented examples

saat ini dianggap sebagai salah satu surat protes HAM

of a civil rights protest letter in America.

yang terdokumentasikan di Amerika.

For the rest of his life, he fought for this cause,

Sepanjang hidupnya, dia berjuang untuk isu ini,

sharing his opposition to slavery through his writing.

melawan ide perbudakan melalui tulisannya.

In 1806 at the age of 75,

Pada tahun 1806, di usia 75 tahun,

Banneker died after a lifetime of study and activism.

Banneker meninggal setelah belajar dan menjadi aktivis sepanjang hidupnya.

On the day of his funeral, his house mysteriously burned down,

Di hari pemakamannya, rumahnya terbakar secara misterius,

and the majority of his life's work,

dan sebagian besar karyanya,

including his striking clock, was destroyed.

termasuk jam dentangnya, musnah.

But still, his legacy lives on.

Tetapi, jasanya akan selalu diingat.