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Nicole Bratu

Bowler

English 10 Honors

25 November 2018

George Washington Carver

“Ninety-nine percent of the failures come from people who have the habit of making

excuses.” This is a quote by George Washington Carver. He was a born a slave, and he was so

committed to doing something more with his life that he ended up going to college. After he

went to college he became a scientist. Imagine that from a slave to a scientist because he was

determined and didn't give up. He was so set on becoming something in life that his position in

society didn't stop him. George Washington Carver was one of the most influential scientists of

his time because he saved the agricultural economy of the rural South, helped poor southern

farmers improve their diet, and introduced crop rotation.

He actually did something very important because he helped secure the economy of the

rural South. “...he developed several new products that could be produced from peanuts. When

he introduced these products to the public...the market for peanuts skyrocketed.”(Bagley) He

discovered a giant surplus of peanuts as he was working on another project and it peaked his

interest. He focused his work on peanuts, really put his mind to it, and ended up saving the

economy of the South by creating around 300 different products using peanuts. Because he

helped maintain the economy of the rural South, it is one of the reasons he was a very influential

scientist of his time.

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Carver grew up in the South as a slave so he knew the conditions of living that they had.

This is one of the reason he helped the poor southern farmers improve their diet. As he worked

with peanuts, sweet potatoes, and other agricultural products, he found them useful for an

everyday life. He tried out many different recipes with different agricultural products.(Kremer)

Carver helped farmers try different peanut and sweet potato products that helped improve their

lives. This helps show how he made a huge impact because he helped the poor farmers of the

south enhance their diet and their lives.

Another thing that made George Washington Carver a very influential scientist of his

time was how he introduced crop rotation to the farmers of the South. “His idea of crop rotation

proved to be most valuable...Carver learned that years of growing cotton had depleted the

nutrients from the soil...but by growing...plants like peanuts, soybeans, and sweet potatoes the

soil could be restored, allowing yield to increase dramatically when the land was reverted back to

cotton…”(History) When he presented this idea to the farmer of the South, it helped boost their

yield as they let the nutrients be replenished. Crop rotation is a reason why George Washington

Carver was an influential scientist of his time.

Did you know that “Carver developed approximately 300 products made from peanuts;

these included: flour, paste, insulation, paper, wall board, wood stains, soap, shaving cream and

skin lotion.”(Bagley) Because he saved the agricultural economy of the rural South, helped poor

southern farmers improve their diet, and introduced crop rotation, George Washington Carver

was one of the most influential scientists of his time. This leads to how if you are willing to work

hard, you can start at the bottom and end up at the top. George Washington Carver was one of

the most inspiring scientists of his time, but he started as a slave and worked his way up.
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Works Cited

Bagley, Mary. “George Washington Carver: Biography, Inventions & Quotes.” Live Science,

https://www.livescience.com/41780-george-washington-carver.html. Accessed 12

November 2018

History.com Editors. “George Washington Carver.” History,

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/george-washington-carver. Accessed 13

November 2018

Kremer, Gary. “George Washington Carver.” Historic Missourians,

https://shsmo.org/historicmissourians/name/c/carver/index.html. Accessed 12 November

2018