George Washington Carver

1
George Washington Carver

1864-1943
2
Georges Childhood

• Born a slave during the civil war to the Carver
  family. Him and his mother were both kidnapped.
  He was recovered but his mother was never found.
• Adopted by his owner, Moses Carver, and treated
  as one of Moses own.
• Was a weak child who suffered from whooping cough
  possibly due to a tuberculosis or pneumonia.
• As a result, he was never subjected to hard labor
  and instead was free to pursue his own interests
  most of the time which was caring for plants.

3
Georges Schooling

• Not allowed to attend school in Diamond because
  of his race, George moved to Neosho and stayed
  with a black family, Mariah and Andrew Watkins.
• 1870s, He moved to Fort Scott, KS for more
  schooling. After seeing a black man burnt alive
  by an angry mob, he fled the horror to Olathe,
  KS.
• 1884, He was accepted by mail to Highland
  College. He got there only to find out that they
  didnt accept blacks. Discouraged, George didnt
  apply to another college for the rest of the
  decade.

4
In Between

• 1886, Moved to Ness County to help a white
  settler, George Stealey.
• 1887, George had his own house and made a meager
  living farming. He continued to experiment with
  plants. His white neighbors were astonished by
  his obvious talents and he quickly gained their
  respect. Many held the opinion that
• if not for his dusky skin, he might occupy a
  different sphere to which his ability would
  otherwise entitle him

5
Back to School

• At the age of thirty, He gained acceptance into
  Simpson College in IA where he majored in Art but
  studied horticulture as well. Encouraged by his
  art teacher, he applied and was accepted to Iowa
  State.
• 1894, He became the first African American to
  graduate.
• He was then made an instructor, making him the
  first Black faculty member
• He continued research on the fungi that were
  attacking wheat, soybeans, oats, blackberries,
  and maple trees. He had his masters within 2
  years.

6
Georges Discoveries

• 1896, Invited by Booker T. Washington to teach at
  Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. (George worked
  there for the rest of his life).
• While there, He developed the system of crop
  rotation. The system was so successful it
  resulted in an oversupply of peanuts.
• In order to make the supply profitable, he began
  searching for uses for the peanuts and other
  large crops. Throughout his lifetime, he created
  about 325 uses of peanuts, 108 for sweet
  potatoes, and 75 for pecans. Also 118 products
  and over 500 dyes and pigments from 28 different
  plants.

7
Worldwide recognition

• Georges accomplishments were well known around
  the world and many important people sought his
  advice, for example
• Mahatma Ghandi wanted guidance on building and
  maintaining an agricultural system.
• Joseph Stalin inquired on how to exploit the
  fertility of the land in the former U.S.S.R.
• George also developed peanut milk which saved the
  lives of hundreds of babies in West Africa

8
Not In It For The Money

• He was offered large sums of money to work for
  Thomas Edison and Henry Ford. He always rejected
  such offers saying If I took the money, I might
  forget my people.
• George also never patented most of his
  discoveries. His reasoning was that God gave
  them to me, how can I sell them to someone else?

9
Inspired Methods

• Carver was a deeply religious man applying
  religious values such as justice to the poor and
  humility and reverence towards Gods creation.
• His inspired methods were often at odds with
  the scientific communities dedication to a
  rational, deductive methodology.
• Critics claimed he showed a complete lack of
  scientific spirit and warned he would bring
  discredit to his race and the Tuskegee institute
  with such practices.

10
Despite Critics

• George was given the Spingarn Medal in 1923 by
  the NAACP
• In 1928, he was given an honorary doctorate from
  Simpson College.
• He was a member of the Royal Society of Arts in
  London, England.
• A commemorative stamp was issued for him in 1948.
• In 1973 he was the 2nd Black American to be
  elected into the NY University Hall of Fame

11
Georges Death

• On January 5, 1943 George died of anemia at the
  Tuskegee institute.
• George donated over 30,000 of his life savings
  to science
• On July 14, 1943 President Roosevelt dedicated
  30,000 for a national monument in
  Georges honor. It became the first
  national monument for an African
  American