Early Years
George Washington Carver was born sometime around June 12, 1864, near Diamond, Missouri. Born into slavery, he, his sister, and mother were kidnapped by slave raiders when he was an infant. Although he was eventually returned to his owners, George developed a severe whooping cough during the escapade and could not perform the work expected of slaves. As a result, George would spend his days wandering the fields and meadows, learning about different plants.
The Struggle for Education
After the Civil War and the abolishment of slavery, George’s former masters decided to raise him as their own son. They encouraged him to pursue academic goals, and his aunt taught him how to read and write. George went to great lengths to find schools that would allow black students and traveled through much of Missouri and Kansas. He finally earned his high school diploma from Minneapolis High in Minneapolis, Kansas. After high school, he opened a laundry business in Olathe, Kansas. Over the next few years, George tried to enroll in numerous colleges but was continually rejected because of his race. In 1887, he was finally accepted by Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa. He would become the second African-American to enroll. While at Simpson, Carver showed great potential and later transferred to Iowa State University where he earned his master’s degree in botany and conducted research on plant pathology and mycology (the study of fungi).
Crop Rotation
After he completed his master’s degree, George was invited to teach at the Tuskegee Institute, a new college for African-Americans run by Booker T. Washington. While at Tuskegee, Carver developed an interest in helping poor African-American farmers. Farmers in the south worked on poor soil, depleted of nitrogen by the annual cotton crops. Carver and his colleagues taught the farmers how to retain nutrients in the soil by using a crop rotation, a system in which the cotton crop was alternated with other crops such as soybeans, sweet potatoes, and peanuts. Carver’s crop rotation improved cotton yields and gave farmers additional crops from which they could earn money.
Experiments on Nuts and BeansCarver conducted numerous experiments on peanuts, soybeans, cow beans, and pecans, finding hundreds of practical uses for them including dyes, cosmetics, paints, plastics, and even gasoline. Carver quickly became famous and published numerous articles and “bulletins” concerning peanuts and their uses. Carter would later experiment with peanut oil and its possibilities for easing symptoms of polio in infants. Carver’s reputation as a botanist and researcher began to grow, and he was named a member in the Royal Society of Arts in England, a famous English society dedicated to improving and challenging scientific practices and theories among other things. In 1922, Carver was instrumental in convincing Congress to place tariffs on peanuts imported from China that were making it impossible for American peanut farmers to make a living.
Other InnovationsCarver designed a mobile classroom, pulled by horses, known as a Jesup Wagon which could be transported from place to place. The wagon was used not only as a classroom but as a platform was Carver and the Tuskegee Institute to demonstrate new agricultural techniques.
 Jesup Wagon
Legacy and Dedications
George Washington Carver died in 1943 after falling down a flight of stairs. In his will, he dedicated his entire life savings to the George Washington Carver Foundation at Tuskegee University, which was established two years earlier. After his death, President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated land in southwestern Missouri for the George Washington Carver National Monument. It was the first national monument for an African-American and for a non-president.
George Washington Carver Activities
George Washington Carver Printable Reading Comprehension - This resource includes a historical passage and ten multiple choice questions.
George Washington Carver Online Correct-me Passage - This fun activity requires students to correct a passage about the life of George Washington Carver that has eight factual errors. Students first must discover the errors, then click on them and select the correct answer from the drop down menu.
George Washington Carver Online Fact or Fiction - This fun activity requires students to read a George Washington Carver passage and then, to sort 11 statements into those that are facts and those that are fiction. The program gives immediate feedback.
George Washington Carver Fact or Fiction - Printable - This fun activity requires students to read a George Washington Carver passage and then, to sort 11 statements into those that are facts and those that are fiction.
George Washington Carver Text Elements (Headings) - This printable activity requires students to match the five different headings to their correct paragraphs.
George Washington Carver Text Elements (Topic Sentence and Supporting Details) - This printable activity requires students to select three sentences which belong under a topic sentence from a group of even sentences. Students then must build the correct paragraph by putting the sentences in the correct order.
George Washington Carver Text Structure (Causes and Effects) - This printable activity requires students to fill in a cause and effect chart where some of the causes are empty and some of the effects are empty. Students can choose from a bank the causes and effects to enter.
Virtual History Teacher - Grading a "George Washington Carver" Test - Students play the role of a virtual history teacher and must grade responses to three questions about the life of George Washington Carver. Each response is incomplete, and students must fill in the missing information in the "response" section. It's designed to reinforce the importance of elaboration. Students can use the George Washington Carver biography for reference.
George Washington Carver Writing Prompt - Who Would You Name Yourself After? - Did you know that George Washington Carver was originally born as George Carver? He gave himself the middle name "Washington" following World War I, in honor of Booker T. Washington. His name was not meant to honor the former slaveholder and founding father, George Washington. Imagine if you could re-name yourself after a figure in history? Who would you name yourself after and why? Give specific details that support your answer. If you can’t think of a historical figure, think of a character in the movies or literature.
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