In 1791 he had begun the
publication of a series of almanacs, and the next year he sent
one of these to Jefferson in an attempt to challenge his racial
views. Jefferson was so impressed with the work that he sent it
to the French Academy of Science. However, he seemed to view
Banneker as an exception rather than fresh evidence undermining
white stereotypes.
In Massachusetts Paul Cuffe was rapidly becoming a black
capitalist. After having worked as a sailor, he managed to buy a
business of his own. Over the years, he came to own considerable
property in Boston, and eventually he had an entire fleet of
ships sailing along the Atlantic coast, visiting the Caribbean
and crossing the ocean to Africa. During the Revolution, he and
his brother, both of whom owned property and paid taxes, raised
the question of political rights. Claiming "no taxation without
representation", they both refused to pay their taxes because they were
denied the ballot. Their protest led Massachusetts to permit blacks to
vote on the same basis as whites. Nevertheless, over
the years Cuffe developed reservations about the future of the
African in America.
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