Scientist, Botanist, Respected American Inventor
George Washington Carver was one of the 20th century's greatest scientists. Though he sufferend as a slave, he went on to become one of the world's most successful inventors in his strive for equality. Carver was fascinated by nature and spent his life trying to understand it. He discovered the many uses for the simplest of plant life, as a result. Carver devoted his research to projects involving southern agriculture. The things he created, that were he derived from the peanut and soybean, revolutionized the economy of the South and made it no longer dependent on just cotton. This created new markets for farmers.
George was born of slave parents on July 12, 1864 in Diamond Grove, Missouri. He was a frail child and, as a result, George was not suited for work in the fields. He had a great interest in plants and was very eager to learn more about them. It was on the farm that George first fell in love with plants. He had his own small garden in a nearby wooded area where he would even talk to the plants. That is how he earned his nickname of The Plant Doctor and started making his own medicines on the farm. George's formal education started when he was 12. He had tried to get into schools in the past but was denied because of his race. No black school was available around where he lived so he was forced to go elsewhere. He moved away from his adopted parents, Susan and Moses Carter, and went to southwest Missouri. Here is where his education began as he studied in a one-room schoolhouse and worked on a farm to pay for it. He ended up moving with another family to Fort Scott in Kansas.
George was denied admission to Highland University because of his race but gained acceptance to Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, in 1890. Soon enough, he transferred from Simpson to Iowa Agricultural College to chace his dream. He distinguished himself so much that when it was time for him to graduate in 1894, they offered him a position on the school's faculty. As the first black person on staff, Carver was allowed great freedom in working in agriculture and botany in the University's greenhouses. In 1896 he received his master's degree in agriculture and in 1897 discovered two funguses that would be named after him.
In the next years of his life, Carver developed 325 different uses for the peanut, including peanut butter, cooking oil, shampoo, printer ink and facial cream. He also createdmore than 175 products from the sweet potato, including flour, starch, synthetic rubber and materials used for paving highways. He developed more than 75 products from the pecan. In 1927, he invented a process for producing paints and stains from soybeans. Although he did hold three patents, Carver didn't patent most of the his discoveries he made while at Tuskegee, saying "God gave them to me, how can I sell them to someone else?" In 1990, 'The Plant Doctor' was inducted into The National Inventor's Hall of Fame for his future altering accomplishments.
George was born of slave parents on July 12, 1864 in Diamond Grove, Missouri. He was a frail child and, as a result, George was not suited for work in the fields. He had a great interest in plants and was very eager to learn more about them. It was on the farm that George first fell in love with plants. He had his own small garden in a nearby wooded area where he would even talk to the plants. That is how he earned his nickname of The Plant Doctor and started making his own medicines on the farm. George's formal education started when he was 12. He had tried to get into schools in the past but was denied because of his race. No black school was available around where he lived so he was forced to go elsewhere. He moved away from his adopted parents, Susan and Moses Carter, and went to southwest Missouri. Here is where his education began as he studied in a one-room schoolhouse and worked on a farm to pay for it. He ended up moving with another family to Fort Scott in Kansas.
George was denied admission to Highland University because of his race but gained acceptance to Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, in 1890. Soon enough, he transferred from Simpson to Iowa Agricultural College to chace his dream. He distinguished himself so much that when it was time for him to graduate in 1894, they offered him a position on the school's faculty. As the first black person on staff, Carver was allowed great freedom in working in agriculture and botany in the University's greenhouses. In 1896 he received his master's degree in agriculture and in 1897 discovered two funguses that would be named after him.
In the next years of his life, Carver developed 325 different uses for the peanut, including peanut butter, cooking oil, shampoo, printer ink and facial cream. He also createdmore than 175 products from the sweet potato, including flour, starch, synthetic rubber and materials used for paving highways. He developed more than 75 products from the pecan. In 1927, he invented a process for producing paints and stains from soybeans. Although he did hold three patents, Carver didn't patent most of the his discoveries he made while at Tuskegee, saying "God gave them to me, how can I sell them to someone else?" In 1990, 'The Plant Doctor' was inducted into The National Inventor's Hall of Fame for his future altering accomplishments.
