The Plant Doctor Who Helped the Earth Bloom!
George Washington Carver was a brilliant African American scientist and inventor who discovered amazing new uses for plants. He taught farmers how to grow different crops like peanuts and sweet potatoes to keep their soil healthy and help them make a living.
The Full Story
George Washington Carver was born into slavery around 1864 in Missouri, right before slavery ended. Sadly, he was orphaned as a baby, but he was cared for by Moses and Susan Carver, who gave him their last name. Even as a young boy, George loved nature and had a special gift for helping sick plants, earning him the nickname "the plant doctor" from his neighbors. He had a huge desire to learn and traveled far to get an education, eventually becoming the first African American student to attend Iowa State University, where he studied plants and farming.
After earning his degrees, George Washington Carver went to teach at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, a school for African American students. He saw that many farmers were struggling because they grew only cotton, which wore out the soil. Dr. Carver showed them how to rotate their crops with plants like peanuts, sweet potatoes, and soybeans, which made the soil healthy again. He then invented hundreds of new products from these crops—like different foods, paints, and even plastics—to help farmers sell what they grew and improve their lives!
Did You Know? 🌟
1. As a child, George Washington Carver was known as "the plant doctor" because he could make sick plants healthy again!
2. He discovered over 300 different uses for peanuts and more than 100 uses for sweet potatoes, turning simple crops into amazing new products!
3. He taught farmers using a special mobile classroom called a "Jesup wagon," bringing his lessons directly to them in the fields!
