George Washington Carver
Background Information & Activities

George Washington Carver was born into slavery around 1864 on a plantation in Diamond Grove, Missouri. The exact year of his birth is unknown. When he was an infant, he and his mother were kidnapped by slave raiders. The owner of the farm traded a horse as ransom for the baby, but the mother was never seen again.

As a young boy, Carver loved to collect and learn about plants. He had a strong ambition to go to school, but the ones in his area did not accept African Americans. He learned to read and write at home, and at ten years old, he put himself through different schools. As a student, he loved art and showed great skill as a painter. Carver decided to pursue college and was accepted to Highland University, but was promptly denied when administrators discovered that he was black. After repeated rejections, he was finally accepted to Simpson College in Iowa, where he was the second African-American student to attend. There, he studied art but realized his true love was science, and after a year, he transferred to Iowa State Agricultural College, which is now Iowa State University. He was the first African-American student to attend and faced many challenges, but his passion for botany and agricultural science led him all the way to become the first African-American faculty member at the college.

Later African-American political activist and leader Booker T. Washington invited Carver to teach at the Tuskegee Institute, an esteemed university specifically for African Americans. Carver accepted the position and taught there until his death.

Carver realized that farmers in the South relied heavily on growing cotton, but the plants depleted the soil of its nutrients. After several seasons, the soil would not sustain new plants as well as before. Carver discovered that certain crops, such as peanuts, sweet potatoes, cowpeas, and soybeans returned proteins and nutrients into the soil. Carver suggested farmers plant soybeans one year and then plant cotton the next. His method of crop rotation saved countless acres of farmland in the South.

Carver began experimenting with peanuts and sweet potatoes because they were now readily available as cash crops. He developed hundreds of uses for peanuts alone, including lotion, shaving cream, wood stain, leather and cloth dye, rubbing oil, hair tonic, and even a laxative. He also made food products from peanuts, including vinegar, instant coffee, cocoa, mayonnaise, salad oil, and peanut punch. He developed over one hundred uses for sweet potatoes, including flour, sugar, instant coffee, yeast, wood stains, paint, medicine, and meal for livestock. During his lifetime, Carver only held three patents, all for cosmetic uses. He believed that food products came from a higher power and should not be a source of profit but rather available to all.

Carver died in 1943 and gave his entire life savings to science. In both 1948 and 1998, the U.S. Postal Service released commemorative stamps in his honor.

George Washington Carver Teacher Activities – Click Here!

George Washington Carver Family Activities – Click Here!

George Washington Carver Teacher Activities

Invention Convention

Remind students that George Washington Carver discovered hundreds of uses for sweet potatoes and peanuts. He took something that was readily available and changed the way people used it. Have students think of creative and alternative uses for something. They may think of different ways to recycle and reuse an item (for example, using a tire as a planter) or find a different use from a common product (such as using onion skins as paper). Students can prepare their inventions and make posters and presentations. Then have an Invention Convention where students can share their work with other students, classes, friends, and family members.

Biography

A great way to learn about someone is to read his or her biography. An even better way to learn about someone is to write his or her biography! Have students pick a historical figure they would like to learn more about and have them conduct research on the Internet or in the library. You may want to focus their subjects to famous scientists, African Americans, or women. You may want to show examples of biographies to the class. Encourage students to decorate their biographies with paintings, drawings, or photographs.

Facing Challenges

Discuss with students the challenges that George Washington Carver faced. How did he overcome them? How did he succeed? How do you think he felt when he was going through tough experiences? Invite students to share personal experiences when they faced challenges. What steps did they take to overcome their obstacles? Then break students up into groups and have them write and perform skits about overcoming obstacles and determination.

George Washington Carver Family Activities

Sweet Potato Pie

Sweet potato pie is a popular Southern dessert that uses an ingredient that George Washington Carver spent a lifetime researching. Look for recipes on the Internet and bake a sweet potato pie with your child. This will give a wonderful opportunity to learn healthy eating habits and practice math and reading skills. Your child can help you measure ingredients and stir them together. Encourage your child to think of other ways to use sweet potatoes at home, such as sweet potato salad or sweet potato casseroles. You can extend the cooking activity by cooking a peanut dish or making your own peanut butter by blending peanuts.

Food Collage

As a fun art activity at home, have your child make a collage using the plants George Washington Carver studied, such as peanuts, sweet potatoes, and soybeans. Encourage your child to use all parts of the plant, such as the sweet potato skin, peanut shells, and the paper covering that surrounds the peanut.

An Artist’s Eye

George Washington Carver observed and drew plants to gain a better understanding of them. Your child may gain a better understanding of plants and their parts through sketching. Together with your child, take sketch books to a local garden or park and draw together. Encourage your child to observe and draw details about different plants. This activity can also be done during winter months with indoor houseplants.