George Washington Carver
Champion Educator
G
eorge Washington Carver was born a slave on the farm of a man
named Moses Carver. At first, he was known simply as “George.”
Then people started calling him “Carver’s George.” He didn’t like that,
so he took the name George Carver. He added the initial W
because there was another George Carver in his school. Someone
Born: probably July
asked what the W stood for and that’s when he decided it stood
12, 1864, in Diamond,
for “Washington.”
Missouri (during the U.S.
Although sickly as a child, George was very intelligent and
Civil War)
inquisitive (asked many questions). Early on, he displayed a love
Died: January 5, 1943, in
and genius for growing plants. Determined to be educated, and
Tuskegee, Alabama
with the Carvers’ blessing, he walked to the town of Neosho to
Famous for: promoting
attend school. There, George was taken in and cared for by a
agricultural education and
woman he called Aunt Mariah. But he was too advanced for the
research
school in Neosho, and so for the next ten years he wandered
about going to various schools and supporting himself doing odd
jobs. A talented artist, he eventually studied painting at Simpson College. Many years later, that
school awarded him an honorary doctorate degree. Eventually, he ended up a student at the Iowa
State College of Agriculture in Ames. But he never lost his love for painting pictures of flowers.
As a young man, Carver vowed he would help poor farmers learn more about the science
of agriculture. When Booker T. Washington, the founder of Tuskegee Institute in Alabama,
called and asked him to join the faculty there, he agreed. Tuskegee was created to teach AfricanAmerican men practical skills they could use to earn a living. Carver, a religious man, felt called
to help his people.
Cotton had been the king of crops on farms in the South. This constant replanting resulted
in seriously depleted soil. Carver introduced the idea of planting a variety of crops, such
as soybeans, sweet potatoes, and his favorite, peanuts (from which he developed over 300
products). He wrote and distributed pamphlets encouraging growers to rotate crops and fertilize
their fields to keep their soil rich.
A highlight of Carver’s life was addressing the U.S. Congress to persuade it to enact a tariff
(tax) to protect homegrown peanuts. Because of the importance of his work, he had many
influential friends, such as automaker Henry Ford and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture James
Wilson. Today, 18 schools and a museum bear George Washington Carver’s name. In 1937, a
bust of Carver was unveiled at Tuskegee, honoring his 40 years there. At the ceremony, he wore
the suit that his classmates had bought for him when he was the first African-American man to
graduate from Iowa State College. In his lapel, he sported a favorite flower.
12
Comprehension-Boosting Crosswords: Famous Americans © Silvia Charlesworth, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Comprehension-Boosting Crosswords
Name
George Washington Carver
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
9
10
8
11
12
13
14
16
15
17
18
19
DOWN
1.
T. Washington founded
Tuskegee Institute.
15.
When Carver was born, our country was in the
middle of the
War.
2.Automaker Henry
was a friend of
George Washington Carver.
18.George Washington Carver was graduated from
Iowa State College of Agriculture in
.
3.One of our U.S. presidents, Jimmy
was a peanut farmer.
,
ACROSS
4.
College awarded Carver an honorary
doctor of science degree.
6.Carver encouraged rotating cotton crops with
peanuts, soy beans, and sweet
.
5.Carver wanted to use the science of
to better the lot of farmers.
7.The U.S.
about peanuts.
6.George Washington Carver invented 300
products made from
.
9.A woman Carver called Aunt
him in so he could go to school.
8.Many
and a museum are named for
George Washington Carver.
10.
Institute is now a university, with
over 3,000 students.
11.As a boy, George showed a genius for
plants.
16.George’s mother was a slave, so that meant
George was born a
.
12.Cotton was
in the South, but it made
the soil poor for farming.
17.Carver studied
, but switched to
agriculture because it was more practical.
13.When he was honored at Tuskegee, Carver
wore a flower in the
of his suit coat.
19.As a painter, Carver’s favorite subject matter
was
.
listened to Carver’s speech
took
14.George Washington Carver was born on the
farm of Moses
.
Comprehension-Boosting Crosswords: Famous Americans © Silvia Charlesworth, Scholastic Teaching Resources
13
Answer Key
GEORGE
WASHINGTON
CARVER
(page 12)
Down:
1. Booker
2. Ford
3. Carter
4. Simpson
5. agriculture
6. peanuts
8. schools
11. growing
12. king
13. lapel
14. Carver
15. Civil
18. Ames
Across:
6. potatoes
7. Congress
9. Mariah
10. Tuskegee
16. slave
17. painting
19. flowers
58
Comprehension-Boosting Crosswords: Famous Americans © Silvia Charlesworth, Scholastic Teaching Resources