Other editions of book George Washington Carver: Inventor and Naturalist

George Washington Carver was sent away from home at age twelve because no Negroes were allowed to attend local schools. He didn't start college until age 30 because of his skin color. And when he did achieve extraordinary success, he chose not to patent his discoveries or profit from them, instead donating his life savings to continuing research to help humankind. Among his achievements was the development of crop rotation, a method that "freed" the South from growing only cotton and tobacco. Because Carver convinced southern farmers to alternate such crops as peanuts, soybeans, and pecans, the South was able to recover from the war years and the loss of slave labor. Countless products that enhance modern life, such as peanut butter, ink, and plastic, were discovered or improved by Carver. In George Washington Carver's view, God had given him these discoveries...and now he had the privilege of giving them to others.