October Read/Lydia

Title: George Washington Carver --The Life of Great American Agriculturist

Author: Linda McMurry Edwards

ISBN: 0-8239-6633-X

George Washington Carver was an African American born in Missouri during the Civil War. His mother was slaves and belongs to Mr. and Mrs. Carver. In 1865, the Civil War ended and slavery was abolished. Mr. and Mrs. Carver had no child and decided to adopt George and his older brother after the death of George’s mother.

As a child, George Washington Carver was small and weak but curious and intelligent. Unlike his older brother, he usually helped Mrs. Carver with cooking, cleaning and housework indoor. George was interested in nature, especially with plants. He wanted to know everything about nature. Mr. and Mrs. Carver were white but opposed to slavery and treated George and his brother as a family. They sent George to Neosho, Missouri to attend a school for African American when George turned 12 years old. After that time, he moved to several places, kept studying and worked hard.

Carver entered Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa as an art major in 1890. He was an excellent student in art, but his professor recommended to study agriculture for his specialty and future. Next year, Carver transferred to Iowa State to study agriculture. In 1896, Carver received a master’s degree in agriculture and accepted a job at Tuskegee Institute which founded by Booker T. Washington in Macon County, Alabama. Booker T. Washington believed that anyone who worked hard would succeed. He thought that success would eventually win African Americans not only respect but also rights from whites. He told black southerners to focus on receiving education and buying land rather than fighting for political rights.

While Carver worked at Tuskegee Institute, he tried to help poor black southerners. He experimented and developed natural fertilizers and taught farmers how to use natural resources to meet their needs. Also he studied several crops like sweet potatos, beans, and peanuts for black southerners in nutrition deficiency to explain how to plant them successfully. In 1916, he published one of his most famous bulletins, “How to Grow the Peanut and 105 Ways of Preparing It for Human Consumption”. That’s why he was called the “Peanut Man”.

Carver agreed with the idea that most black men and women who were able to get a college education despite difficulties believe they should share their fortune. He didn’t fight or insist on human rights for African American but he worked and studied hard all his life for better lives of poor black southerners.