George Washington Carver

Lore & Background

Carver was born into slavery in Diamond Grove, Missouri, sometime in the early 1860s; his birth date is uncertain. His enslaver, Moses Carver, had purchased his parents, Mary and Giles, in 1855. Giles died before George was born, and when he was a week old, he, his sister, and his mother were kidnapped by night raiders. Only the infant George was found and returned. After slavery was abolished, Moses and his wife Susan raised George and his brother James, teaching George the basics of reading and writing. Denied access to the local public school due to his race, Carver later attended a school for Black children in Neosho, where a woman named Mariah Watkins told him, 'You must learn all you can, then go back out into the world and give your learning back to the people.' He moved to several locations in Kansas, eventually earning his diploma at Minneapolis High School. He adopted the middle initial 'W' to avoid mail confusion, and when asked if it stood for Washington, he replied, 'Why not?' but never used Washington as his middle name.

Reader's Guide

Carver's significance lies in his practical agricultural research and his dedication to helping poor farmers, particularly Black farmers in the South, achieve self-sufficiency. While a professor at Tuskegee Institute, he developed techniques to improve soils depleted by repeated cotton planting and promoted alternative crops such as peanuts and sweet potatoes. Under his leadership, the Experiment Station at Tuskegee published over forty practical bulletins for farmers, many written by Carver, containing recipes and advice on soil conservation, crop production, and food preservation. He also designed a mobile classroom, the 'Jesup wagon,' to bring agricultural education directly to farmers. Despite being occasionally addressed as 'doctor,' Carver never received an official doctorate, though he was awarded honorary doctorates from Simpson College and Selma University. His fame extended beyond the Black community; in 1941, Time magazine called him a 'Black Leonardo.' He received numerous honors, including the Spingarn Medal of the NAACP, and is remembered as a leader in environmentalism and agricultural innovation.

Did You Know?

• Carver was born into slavery and his exact birth date is unknown.
• He was kidnapped as an infant along with his mother and sister, but was later found and returned.
• He never earned an official doctorate, though he was sometimes called 'doctor' and received honorary doctorates.
• Time magazine dubbed Carver a 'Black Leonardo' in 1941.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"George Washington Carver (12 July 1864 – 5 January 1943) was an African-American botanist who worked in agricultural extension in the southern United States." — George Washington Carver "I love to think of nature as unlimited broadcasting stations, through which God speaks to us every day, every hour and every moment of our lives, if we will only tune in and remain so." — George Washington Carver "I know that my Redeemer lives. Thank God I love humanity, complexion doesn't interest me one single a bit." — George Washington Carver "When our thoughts — which bring actions — are filled with hate against anyone, Negro or white, we are in a living hell. That is as real as hell will ever be." — George Washington Carver