George Washington Carver

George Washington Carver (1864-1943), best known for his work as a scientist and a botanist, was an anomaly in his own time—a black man praised by white America. This selection of his letters and other writings reveals both the human side of Carver and the forces that shaped his creative genius. They show us a Carver who was both manipulated and manipulative who had inner tensions and anxieties. But perhaps more than anything else, these letters allow us to see Carver's deep love for his fellow man, whether manifested in his efforts to treat polio victims in the 1930s or in his incredibly intense and emotionally charged friendships that lasted a lifetime. The editor has furnished commentary between letters to set them in context.

Born in 1860s Missouri, nobody expected George Washington Carver to succeed. Slaves were not allowed to be educated. After the Civil War, Carver enrolled in classes and proved to be a star student. He became the first black student at Iowa State Agricultural College and later its first black professor. He went on to the Tuskegee Institute where he specialized in botany (the study of plants) and developed techniques to grow crops better. His work with vegetables, especially peanuts, made him famous and changed agriculture forever. He went on to develop nearly 100 household products and over 100 recipes using peanuts.

She also sets out how these roles served both whites and blacks; reminds the reader of Carver's personal and circumstantial reasons for not demurring; and reaffirms, in particular, his impact on individuals (prominent among whom was Southern radical Howard Kester--viz. Anthony Dunbar's Against the Grain, above). An intellectually satisfying study and no less an affecting biography.

Federer discusses how the evolution of the American tolerance for various religious beliefs evolved into intolerance of traditional Judeo-Christian belief.

This title in the Snapshots: Images of People and Places in History series introduces readers to the scientist, inventor and professor who became a symbol of African American success and interracial harmony. George Washington Carver was the orphan son of slaves, but he went on to become the world-famous ?Peanut Scientist.? George invented more than 325 products from peanuts --- including gasoline, shampoo, ice cream and chili sauce. Even when George was a child he was known as the ?Plant Doctor? because he could make almost any plant grow. It was through his groundbreaking research in agriculture that George radically improved the lives of countless African American farmers in the southern United States.

Christina Vella received a PhD. in Modern European and U.S. history from Tulane University, where she is a Visiting Professor. A consultant for the U.S. State Department, she lectures widely on historical and biographical topics.

Recounts the life of the African-American agriculturist at the Tuskegee Institute, emphasizing his love of plants and his belief in living in harmony with the natural world.

This title is a brief, yet informative, biography on George Washington Carver. Readers will learn about Carver's early life, personal life, and all about his contributions to science, farming, and botany. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Core Library is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO.