George Washington Carver was born into slavery and orphaned as a child. He faced discrimination trying to get an education but eventually earned degrees from Iowa State University. Carver then became a professor and developed the agricultural program at Tuskegee Institute, helping farmers grow alternative crops like peanuts. During World War II, he created alternatives to rubber from crops like sweet potatoes. Carver made many contributions but lived humbly, dying in 1943 at the age of 77.

1. George Washington
Carver: The Plant Doctor
By Arun Raman

2. Childhood
George Washington Carver was
born into slavery in Missouri. At a
young age George’s father died in
an accident at a nearby farm. He
was kidnapped along with his
mother and sister at the age of one,
but was left behind because of a
cold. He was brought back to the
plantation and was taken care of
by George’s kind owners Moses
and Sarah Carver. After the war,
since no school would allow
African Americans, Sarah Carver
taught George and his brother
James how to read. As a child, he
loved nature and enjoyed looking
at plants and animals.

3. School
After entering many schools,
George Washington Carver
For schooling, George traveled to
entered Minneapolis High School
Neosho, MO where he first went to in Minneapolis, KS. In this school,
school. Neosho was eight miles away he earned his diploma.
from his home in Diamond, MO and
he walked all the way there. It took
him until nightfall to reach Neosho.
When he realized that the school was
closed, he slept in a nearby barn. In
the morning, George rented a room
from the owner of the barn who gave
him the name, George Carver.
At the age of thirteen, George Carver
went to study in Fort Scott, KS. He
soon fled after witnessing a lynching.

4. College
Carver applied for Highland College At Iowa State College of Agriculture, he
and was accepted. He eagerly headed worked as a custodian to earn a living. At
there, but upon arrival he was turned
down. This was because of his race. night, he studied by candlelight. In 1894, he
Carver inquired why he was accepted to earned a college degree. This was a great
the college if he was now being turned achievement for former slaves, but this was
down. The college said that it was not the end! George’s professors were
because they thought he was a white
man and so they accepted him. impressed with him, so they told him to get
a Graduate Degree. George accepted it.
George was accepted to Simpson Soon, he got a job as a teacher there.
College and was not rejected. This was
because the founder of the college,
Matthew Simpson, believed in equal
rights. In college, he was the only
African-American. When his art teacher
saw that George was talented in art, she
encouraged him to study at Iowa State.

5. Tuskegee Institute, AL and
Farmer Help
Booker T. Washington wrote a letter to
George Washington Carver to direct the
school’s agricultural department.
George immediately agreed. He packed
his belongings and headed south to
Tuskegee in Alabama. He did not have
any professional equipment, so he asked
his students to bring items such as
lamps.
He also helped farmers. When cotton
crops were failing, he told farmers to
plant peanuts. Some people laughed at
him, but some listened to his advice.
Now he needed to find new uses for
peanuts, such as lotion, milk, soap,
paint, and gasoline.

6. Peanut Problem
When Chinese farmers saw how well
peanuts were selling in America, they
started exporting cheap peanuts to
America. People bought the cheap
Chinese peanuts, so the American
peanut farmers were badly losing
money. They wanted the government to
place a tariff on Chinese peanuts, and
Carver was the spokesperson. He had
only ten minutes to speak, but the
committee members begged for more.
George convinced the government to
place a high tariff on peanuts

7. Rubber Shortage
During World War II,
there was a rubber
shortage. Henry Ford
turned to George
Washington Carver.
He made the first
synthetic, or man-
made, rubber out of
sweet potatoes.

8. Death
In late 1942, George fell
down a flight of steps. He
never recovered from his
fall. On January 5th, 1943,
George Washington Carver
died. On his gravestone it
read “He could have added
fortune to [his] fame, but
caring for neither, he found
happiness and honor in
being helpful to the world”

9. Family Members: Sister, kidnapped
and never seen again; Brother;
Father, died in accident; Mother,
kidnapped and never seen again.
Other family members ?
Fun Facts: George Washington
Carver created __________ from
1
How far you go in life depends on
peanuts. He did this because your being tender with the young,
Quotes
2 _________________________. compassionate with the aged,
sympathetic with the striving and
tolerant of the weak and strong.
Because someday in your life you
find new uses for them.
but peanuts were not useful, so he needed to
He encouraged farmers to plant peanut crops, 2.
will have been all of these.
Cream, Vegetable Oil, etc.
Peanut Butter, Body Lotion, Cookies, Ice 1.
George Washington Carver