Carver was an agricultural scientist who is known for developing many produces using peanuts, sweet potatoes, and soybeans. Many people often make the mistake of thinking that Carver was the man who created peanut butter when it was actually Marcellus Gilmore Edson.

George Washington Carver was born into slavery in Diamond Grove, Missouri in 1864. Moses Carver bought George’s mother when she was 13, even though Moses was against slavery he still needed help on the farm. A band of slave raiders kidnapped George, his mother, and sister and sold the family into slavery in Kentucky. Moses was devastated when he found out what happened so he employed his neighbor to find them and bring them back to the farm, yet the neighbor only found George. Moses and his wife Susan raised George as their own, teaching him how to read and write. With George being too feeble Susan taught him how to cook, do laundry, mend, embroider, garden, and how to make herbal medicines.

Carver was fascinated by plants and was always experimenting with them to further his education. Carver later attended the Iowa State Agriculture School now known as Iowa State University to study plants. In 1894, Carver became the first African American to a bachelor degree in science. In 1896, Carver earned his master’s degree in agriculture and later worked for Tuskegee Institute the remainder of his life. Carver later invented the Jessup wagon to help teach the community about agriculture.

Carver later died by falling down a flight of stairs on January 5, 1943. Carver donated his life savings to the Carver Museum and to the George Washington Carver Foundation. He was buried next to an old colleague Booker T. Washington who died November 14, 1915. Carver’s studies helped people understand the importance of agriculture and how it can help people.