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George Washington Carver
George Washington Carver
George Washington Carver
In 1885, Carver applied to Highland College in Kansas, and was accepted into the college with no problems. When he went to begin class, he was turned down from the school, because they did not accept African Americans into the school. He never gave up though, Carver was on a mission to continue his search for education. In 1889, Carver went to a small town in Iowa called Winterset, Carver kept his interest in drawing and kept on drawing sketches of different wild flowers during art class. He enrolled in Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa. Carver was accepted by the college despite that he was an African America, and they looked forward to having him attend the college. Teachers along with students admired his intentions that he brought forth to the college. They never saw someone that has been through so much as Carver has and be so successful at everything that he has done. While he was at the college, a teacher notice that Carver always drew sketches of plants, and suggested to him that he should enroll in Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, which was located in Ames, Iowa. Carver was surprised that so many people looked at him as someone important and with talent, and that there was people willing to help him further his education. George Washington Carver was the first African American to enroll in the Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, and to be accepted by them. Carver graduated from Iowa in 1894 with a B.S. in botany and agriculture. He wasnt happy with just having a B.S. so Carver went back to Iowa for an additional two years to complete his masters degree in the same fields. After graduating, Carver was happy at Iowa State, but he wanted to help the African American living conditions. He was a very unselfish man, and didnt want to see other African Americans have to endure what he has gone through. In 1896, Carver accepted an invitation from Booker T. Washington to head the agricultural department at Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute for Negroes. As soon as Carver arrived at Tuskegee, he had a handful of challenges awaiting him. There was no money for the agricultural department, which at the time only had a few animals and a barn. People would rather learn an industrial trade that would get them a living not working on a farm, since most of these people been on a farm all this time. The type of person Carver was though, he never gave up. He kept pushing and showing his true love for agriculture and kept with it and eventually he attracted students with the will that he possessed. In such a little time span, Carver made a tremendous impact at Tuskegee. Carver showed farmers if they alternate planting spots for cotton and peanuts, they would see a significant change in the cultivation of these products. Carver wanted to make a change everywhere that he could, so he created a program where he would go to Alabama once a month to give farmers instructions on planting and other farming techniques that he knew about. All of a sudden the widespread of peanuts hit, as everyone was growing them. Peanuts flooded the market and prices dropped on them as
there was nothing to do with them, and know one was buying them since they could grow there own. Carver took it upon himself to explore and find other alternatives for the peanut that would increase its market value. Carver was very successful in alternatives for the peanut. He found over three hundred different uses for the peanut, which included: oil, stain remover, and butter just for a few examples. While exploring for new uses, Carver also found over one hundred different ways to use the sweet potato and the pecan. The exploration of the peanut made Carver a famous man, and was asked by people all over the country and United States to speak. In 1921, Carver helped the United Peanuts Grower Association persuade Congress to pass a bill which called for a protective tariff on all imported peanuts. The peanut carved the road for Carver as it helped him resolve the rural problem in the south which emphasized that the peanut was a valuable part in nutrition. Carver only patented three of his five hundred agriculture based inventions. When asked why Carver said God gave them to me, how can I sell them to someone else? Carver was never a married man, and in 1940 he gave his life savings of $33,000 to the Tuskegee Institute. As an appreciation to his donation and effort that he brought forth, the money was used to establish the George Washington Carver Research Foundation for agriculture research. Carver received many awards for his accomplishments, in 1916 he was named a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in London. In 1923, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People awarded him the Spingarn Medal for distinguished service in agricultural chemistry. In 1939, Carver received the Theodore Roosevelt Medal for his contributions to the world of science, and in 1951 the George Washington Carver National Monument was established in Missouri on the farm where Carver was born at. Carver died at Tuskegee, on January 5, 1943 and is buried on the grounds of Tuskegee Institute. To show the prosperity and gratitude that George Washington Carver brought to the world of science, Congress declared every January 5th a day to honor Carver, and all of his wonderful achievements that he gave us.