George Washington Carver

George Washington Carver c1910 - Restoration

George Washington Carver (c. 1864 – January 5, 1943) was an American agricultural scientist and inventor who promoted alternative crops to cotton and methods to prevent soil depletion. He was one of the most prominent black scientists of the early 20th century.

Early Life

George Washington Carver was born into slavery in Diamond, Missouri, in the early 1860s. The exact date of his birth is unknown. He was the son of Mary and Giles, who were enslaved by Moses Carver. After the Civil War, Moses and his wife Susan raised George and his brother James as their own children.

Education

Carver was determined to get an education, which was not easy for African Americans at the time. He attended a series of schools before earning his high school diploma in Minneapolis, Kansas. He was accepted to Highland University, but was denied admission when they discovered he was black. He eventually earned a bachelor's degree in agricultural science from Iowa State University in 1894 and a master's degree in 1896.

Career

After completing his education, Carver joined the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, where he worked for the rest of his life. At Tuskegee, he conducted agricultural research and taught students. He developed techniques to improve soils depleted by repeated plantings of cotton. Carver urged farmers to restore nitrogen to their soils by practicing systematic crop rotation, alternating cotton crops with plantings of sweet potatoes or legumes such as peanuts, which are nitrogen-fixing plants.

Innovations and Contributions

Carver is best known for his work with peanuts (though he did not invent peanut butter, as is often claimed). He developed hundreds of products from peanuts, sweet potatoes, and other plants, including dyes, plastics, gasoline, and nitroglycerin. His work helped to diversify southern agriculture and provided new sources of income for farmers.

Legacy

Carver's contributions to agriculture and his promotion of alternative crops had a lasting impact on farming in the United States. He was also a prominent figure in the early civil rights movement, advocating for racial equality and education for African Americans. Carver received numerous honors and awards for his work, including the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP in 1923.

Death

George Washington Carver died on January 5, 1943, after falling down the stairs at his home. He was buried next to Booker T. Washington on the grounds of the Tuskegee Institute.

Related Pages

• Agriculture
• Tuskegee Institute
• Peanut
• Crop rotation
• Nitrogen fixation
• Booker T. Washington
• NAACP