George Washington Carver

George Washington Carver is one of the more well-known African American inventors. While most people know he invented peanut butter, there is much more to his story than his contribution to a staple part of the American culinary palate.

George Washington Carver was born around 1864 in Missouri. He was born just as the Civil War was ending and both of his parents were slaves. While Carver was still a baby, he lost his father to a farm accident, and his mother was killed by kidnappers involved in the violent dispute over slavery at the Missouri-Kansas border at the time.

After his parents' deaths, he remained on the farm owned by his parents' former owners and became their foster son after they freed their slaves. His now foster parents, Susan and Moses Carver, noted his love for learning (especially about plants) and music. His love for learning gave him a love for reading, as well as a love for learning more about farming. While on the farm, George taught himself a great deal about the plants and conducted his own planting experiments. He became an expert on the type of soil best for each plant, how to save dying plants, and even the types of bugs you do and do not want in your garden or crops.

Despite George's bright mind and passion for learning, because of George's skin color he was denied access to the education his local school provided. Susan and Moses Carver, wanting to encourage George's thirst for learning, hired George a tutor. Around the age of 11 or 12 years old, George started attending a school for black students in a nearby town, Neosho, Missouri. While many kids today eagerly await the end of the school day, George was so dedicated to his education, he walked eight miles to school every day. During his time in Neosho for his education, an African American couple agreed to let George live with them in exchange doing household work. The wife, Mariah Watkins, had a vast knowledge of medicinal plants that George was eager to learn about from her. This was the beginning of George's foundations in medicinal plant usage, which many years later would turn into his medicinal discoveries with plants.

After years in Neosho, George felt he needed more challenge from his education and eventually found a high school in Kansas he could attend. After completing high school, George's thirst for education was still not quenched and he started applying to college. One college accepted George right away when reading about all of his qualifications in his application, but then immediately rejected him when the president of that college saw George was not white.

Years later, after working different jobs to support himself, George was accepted to Simpson College in Iowa, and was the college's only African American student. At the time George was studying several subjects including math and English, he was especially good at art. Though George felt accepted at Simpson, one of his professors suggested George follow his interest in agriculture. Realizing agriculture was his first passion, George transferred to Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts. Unlike at Simpson, George was the first African American student to walk the halls of Iowa State, and endured discrimination and prejudice during his time as a student there. That did not stop George from achieving his education at Iowa State, as he graduated with good grades with his Bachelor of Science degree in 1864, and as the first African American student to graduate from Iowa State. Despite the challenges he faced at Iowa State as an undergraduate, Carver decided to continue his education there and achieve his master's degree. Carver began to teach at Iowa State and learned he was good at another thing: teaching.

Eventually Carver left Iowa State for a teaching job at Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute after Booker T. Washington, the founder, offered Carver the opportunity to teach there. Carver conducted many scientific experiments while at Tuskegee. During his lab work, Carver discovered 300 different uses for peanuts, including a medicine that treated the affects of polio. Many people have called him the "Peanut Man," but few people have heard of another term people called him, the "Black Leonardo."

--

The mission of NSBE is to increase the number of culturally responsible Black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally, and positively impact the community.