Black History Month: Past, Present & Future (George Washington Carver)

GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER (1864-1943) - George Washington Carver was born into slavery. His master, Moses Carver, was a German American immigrant who had purchased George’s parents, Mary and Giles, from William P. McGinnis on October 9, 1855, for $700. When George was only a week old, he, a sister, and his mother were kidnapped by night raiders from Arkansas, who would sell the family before Carver’s owners would be able to rescue them all.

Carver developed techniques to improve soils depleted by repeated plantings of cotton. Together with other agricultural experts, he urged farmers to restore nitrogen to their soils by practicing systematic crop rotation: alternating cotton crops with plantings of sweet potatoes or legumes (such as peanuts, soybeans and cowpeas). These crops both restored nitrogen to the soil and were good for human consumption. Following the crop rotation practice resulted in improved cotton yields and gave farmers alternative cash crops.

The United Peanut Associations of America invited Carver to speak at their 1920 convention. He discussed “The Possibilities of the Peanut” and exhibited 145 peanut products. By 1920, the U.S. peanut farmers were being undercut by low prices on imported peanuts from the Republic of China. Due to his testimony, the Fordney-McCumber Tariff of 1922 was passed including one on imported peanuts.

Please take the time today to watch this documentary uncovering Carver’s complexities and reveal the full impact of his life and work.