who was george washington carver? 1864 – 1943 written by dallas duncan and dr. frank b. flanders...
TRANSCRIPT
Who was George Washington Carver?
1864 – 1943
Written by Dallas Duncan and Dr. Frank B. Flanders
Foundation Skills, Unit 10.8, FS-10 2010
A suggested unit of instruction for CTAE programs to help celebrate Black History Month
Why Study George Washington Carver?
George Washington Carver was a great scientist and teacher. He was a master of the applied sciences.
He is a great role model for Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education students who aspire to influence their areas of expertise, as Carver did in his field.
It is suggested that CTAE classes use the study of George Washington Carver’s life and contributions to help celebrate Black History Month.
Objectives: Students will be able to… Explain the adversity George Washington Carver
faced in his lifetime Discuss the early life and childhood of George
Washington Carver Outline the basics of George Washington Carver’s
education List products invented or improved by George
Washington Carver Discuss George Washington Carver’s teaching
philosophy List honors and awards George Washington
Carver received during his lifetime
Childhood
Born into Slavery Born around 1864 in
Diamond Grove, Missouri George Washington Carver,
his brother Jim, and his mother, Mary, were slaves
Owners were Moses and Susan Carver
George and Mary were kidnapped and taken to Arkansas — George was returned but Mary was never seen again Above: Carver’s birthplace, now part
of the George Washington Carver National Historic Site
Life in Diamond Grove
George and Jim were raised by Susan and Moses Spent a lot of time out in the woods cultivating
and “doctoring” plants George was sickly and spent time with Susan,
who taught him “womanly” skills George and Jim started at a white school
because there weren’t enough African American children to warrant a separate school in the town
The College Years
Left to Right: Simpson
College and an early
photograph of Iowa State Agricultural
College
EducationallySpeaking… George left Missouri at an early age to start a
college career 1890: George enrolled at Simpson College to
study piano and art, but had to withdraw because of his race
Transferred to Iowa State Agricultural College, where in 1894 he earned a Bachelor’s in Agriculture
1896: Earned a Master’s of Agriculture degree from Iowa State Agricultural College
Left: The Creamery
operators at Iowa State Agricultural
College; Carver is in
the back row
Self-Sufficiency
There were no real scholarships when George went to college, so he had to pay his own way through school
George worked doing laundry, cooking, and selling artwork to pay for collegeHe was such a good artist, one of his
paintings won Honorable Mention at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair
Left to Right: Painting was one way George Washington
Carver helped pay for his education
Teaching the Next Generation of Agriculturalists
Left: Faculty at Tuskegee Institute,
1902. George Washington Carver is
front and center.
Agricultural Educator by Choice 1894: Joined the faculty of Iowa State Agricultural College
1896: Recruited by Booker T. Washington to become the director of agriculture at both the Tuskegee Institute and the Tuskegee Agricultural Experiment Station Carver turned down a $100,000
job offer from Thomas Edison to go work at Tuskegee
1906: George and his students created the Jessup Wagon, which was driven around the state to bring information and demonstrations to Alabama farmers The Jessup Wagon inspired
the USDA extension service
Above: Carver teaches students
using skeletons of a cow and
calf; Right: The Jessup
Wagon
The Blossoming of a Career
Award-Winning Scientist
1916: Elected as Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of the Arts in London
1923: Received the Springarn Medal for Distinguished Service to Science from the NAACP
1939: Received the Roosevelt Medal for Outstanding Contribution to Southern Agriculture
1941: Received the Award of Merit from the Variety Clubs of America
Can’t Stop Learning
Carver received several degrees after he finished college, but he never stopped learning!
1928: Received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Simpson College
1942: Received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Selma University
Carver as an Innovator
Carver created or improved over 400 products in his career, many of them derived from the peanut and sweet potatoes
He also made house paints from natural Alabama clays, which were used in various institutions in his home state
Above: Carver working in his lab to extract peanut milk
Some of Carver’s Innovations…Adhesives Face ointment Mock veal cutlet Rubber
Antiseptic soap Face powder Molasses Rubbing oils
Axle grease Flavoring paste Molasses feed Salad oil
Baby massage cream Flour Mucilage Sandwich vinegar
Bisque powder Fuel briquettes Nitroglycerine Shampoo
Bleach Glue Oleomargarine Shaving cream
Butter from peanut milk Glycerin Paints Shoe polish
Caramel salted peanuts Goiter treatment Pancake flour Sizing for walls
Castoria substitute Hand lotion Paper Soap
Cheese Ink Pavement Soil conditioner
Cheese pimento Insecticide Peanut brittle Stains
Chili sauce Instant coffee Peanut butter Sugar
Chocolate coated peanuts Insulating boards Peanut candy bars Sweeping compound
Chop suey sauce Iron tonic Peanut hay meal Synthetic marble
Cleanser for hands Laundry soap Peanut koumiss beverage Synthetic rubber
Cooking oil Laxatives Peanut meat loaf Talcum powder
Cosmetics Linoleum Peanut oil Tannic acid
Dyes Mayonnaise Peanut relish Tofu sauce
Emulsion for bronchitis Meal substitutes Peanut wafers Tutti frutti
Evaporated peanut beverage Meat tenderizer Plastics Washing powder
Face bleach Medicine Pomade for scalp Wood filler
Face cream Metal polish Pomade for skin Wood stain
Face lotion Mock chicken Postage stamp glue Worcestershire sauce
Carver’s Lasting Legacy
Left to Right: Bust of George
Washington Carver at Tuskegee
University; Entrance to George
Washington Carver National Monument; US Postage stamp honoring Carver
Contributions Outside the Lab
1921: Elected to appear and speak on behalf of the United Peanut Association at the US House Committee on Ways and Means’ meeting about the peanut tariff
1935: Appointed as collaborator of the Mycology and Plant Disease Survey for the USDA Bureau of Plant Industry
1939: Became an honorary member of the American Inventor’s Society
Permanent Reminders 1937: Tuskegee unveiled a bust of
George Washington Carver 1938: Hollywood released a movie based
on George’s life 1941: The George Washington Carver
Museum was dedicated at Tuskegee 1942: Missouri’s governor placed a
marker at George’s birthplace