George Washington Carver was thought to have been born in 1864 in Tuskegee, Alabama. Carver worked at the Tuskegee Institute, teaching former slaves farming techniques so they could be self sufficient. In order to take education to the farmers he built a mobile school called the Jesup Wagon.
Carver earned National attention by speaking in favor of a peanut tariff before The ways of means Committee of the U.S House of Representatives.
Carver wrote 44 practical agricultural bulletins for farmers. However most of his fame was because of his research and promotion of crops other than cotton, such as peanuts and sweet potatoes. Cotton depleted the soil and the Boll Weevil destroyed a lot of the cotton crop. He encouraged poor farmers to grow alternative products some as a food source and others that would improve their quality of life. Carver himself created or used around 100 products made from peanuts including, cosmetics, gasoline, paints and plastics.
Carver is also remembered for improving racial relations, mentoring children, religion, painting and poetry. He has been widely admired for his humility, humanitarianism, good nature, frugality and lack of economic materialism. He even made a list of 8 virtues for his students to practice living by:
1-Be clean both inside and out.
2-Neither look up to the rich or down on the poor.
3-Lose, if need be, without squealing.
4-Win without bragging.
5-Always be considerate of women, children and older people.
6-Be too brave not to lie.
7-Be too generous not to cheat.
8-Take your share of the world and let others take theirs.
One of Carvers most important roles was in undermining the stereotype of that time, that the black race wasn’t as smart as the white race. In 1941 Time Magazine called him a “Black Leonardo”, referencing Leonardo Davinci. George Carver died on January 5, 1943. January 5 is now celebrated as George Washington Carver Recognition Day in the United States.
