t gratified in the opportunity of presenting to
the public, through their press, an accurate Ephemeris for the year
1792, calculated by a sable descendant of Africa." They flatter
themselves "that a philanthropic public, in this enlightened era, will
be induced to give their patronage and support to this work, not only
on account of its intrinsic merit (it having met the approbation of
several of the most distinguished astronomers of America, particularly
the celebrated Mr. Rittenhouse), but from similar motives to those
which induced the editors to give this calculation the preference, the
ardent desire of _drawing modest merit from obscurity_ and
controverting the long established illiberal prejudice against the
blacks."[167]

Banneker had himself not lost sight of the probable effect of his work
in reshaping to some extent the public estimate concerning the
intellectual capacity of his race. And this was the thought that
prompted him to send a manuscript copy of his first almanac to Thomas
Jefferson, then Secretary of State in Washington's cabinet. In his
letter to Jefferson, dated August 19, 1791, Banneker made, with
characteristic modesty, a polite apology for the "liberty" he took in
addressing one of such "distinguished and dignified station," and then
proceeded to make a strong appeal for the exercise of a more liberal
attitude towards his downtrodden race, using his own achievements as a
proof that the "train of absurd and false ideas and opinions which so
generally prevails with respect to the Negro should now be
eradicated."[168]

Thomas Jefferson took note of the moral courage and the loyalty to
race evident throughout the whole of Banneker's remarkable letter and
he honored it with the most courteous reply, under date of August 30,
1791. After thanking Banneker for the letter and the almanac
accompanying it, Jefferson expressed the pleasure it afforded him to
see such proofs "that nature has given to our black brethren talents
equal to those of the other colors of men, and that the appearance of
a want of them is owing only to the degraded condition of their
existence both in Africa and America." He also added that he desired
"ardently to see a good system commenced for raising the condition
both of their body and mind to what it ought to be." The copy sent to
Jefferson was formally transmitted to M. de Condorcet, secretary of
the Academy of Sciences at Paris, and member of the Philanthropic
Society beca