George Washington Carver

George Washington Carver

Born a Slave George Washington Carver was born in Missouri in 1864, during the Civil War.

George was born a slave, but when the Civil War ended, he and his older brother, Jim, were freed. Moses and Susan Carver, the couple who had owned them, gave the orphaned boys a home. Jim helped Moses in the fields, but George was often sick and stayed at home to help Susan. She taught him to read, write, and sew. What George liked best, though, was to garden and explore nature.

Learning on His Own George taught himself about plants and animals. He wanted to go to school to learn even more, but many schools at that time were segregated. This meant that white and black students could not go to the same school. Since the nearby school did not allow black students, George left home for another school when he was twelve. He lived with the Watkins family and worked for his meals and room. At thirteen, he moved to Kansas.

When George graduated from high school, he earned a scholarship to go to a Kansas college. When George arrived at the college, however, the school turned him away because he was black. George was unhappy, but he did not give up learning. He farmed and taught himself to paint. His friends told him to try a different college. He went to Simpson College in Iowa to study art. This time, the college let him stay.

Making a Difference George liked Simpson College, but he wanted to help others more. He decided to study agriculture-the science of farming-at another college in Iowa. He was the school's first black graduate. He later became the school's first black professor.