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George Washington Carver
George Washington Carver
George Washington Carver
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George Washington Carver
“George Washington Carver, who was not interested in being famous or amassing wealth found joy and honor in helping others, is considered one of America’s greatest but humblest of heroes. According to the World Book Dictionary, a hero is an individual admired for noble qualities and for his contribution to a particular field. The impact of “nature” and “nurture” on George were the greatest factors that enabled him to become a hero (United States). They “ultimately influenced him on his quest for education, which helped him become a renowned agricultural scientist, educator and humanitarian” (United States).
George Washington Carver was born some time in 1860 during the time of slavery on Moses Carver’s farm near Diamond, Missouri. Records of slave births were not kept accurately so his exact birthdate is unknown. George never knew his father who lived on a neighboring farm and died in an accident before George was born. Although George’s mother was Moses Carver’s slave, he and his wife, Susan, treated her and her children more like family. This initial “nurturing” by the Moses’ had a great impact on George, especially since slaves were usually never treated this way.
When George was an infant, he and his mother were kidnapped by southern slave raiders. Moses made a deal to exchange the two of them for his $300 horse. Unfortunately, only George was returned, because he was very ill with whooping cough and they thought he would die. Several years later, when slavery ended in 1865, George and his brother, Jim, were free, but were very young and could not survive on their own. Moses and Susan took them in and raised them as their sons, since they had no children of their own and George took the...
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...e.” (Carey 33) George is truly one of America’s greatest and most unselfish heroes.”
Works Cited
Brodie, James Michael. Created Equal: The Lives and Ideas of Black American Innovators. New York: W. Morrow, 1993. Print.
Carey, Charles W., Jr. George Washington Carver (Journey to Freedom: The African American Library). Washing D.C.: Child's World, 1999. Print.
Harness, Cheryl. The Groundbreaking, Chance-taking Life of George Washington Carver and Science & Invention in America. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic, 2008. Print.
Inventors and Inventions. Vol. 1. New York: Marshall Cavendish, 2008. Print.
McMurry, Linda O. George Washington Carver, Scientist and Symbol. New York: Oxford UP, 1981. Print.
United States. National Park Service. "Not Just The Peanut Man." National Parks Service. U.S. Department of the Interior, 06 May 2014. Web. 10 May 2014.
George W. Carver’s birth does not have an exact date and there are conflicting reports about his date of birth. Most sources believe he was born into slavery around 1864(CBN News). In his words’ though, “I was about 2 weeks old when the war closed” ( National Park Service), this statement refers to the Civil War which concluded in 1865. Carver might not have a concrete birthdate but the start of his life had a unique and somewhat blessed start. George Washington Carver was born on a small farm to slave parents near Diamond Grove, Missouri, but soon was kidnapped at an early age along with the rest of his family (Bagley). His owners at the time found and took him back home and raised him and his brother as one of their own since the Emancipation Proclamation had set all slaves free. G.W.C didn’t really know his biological parents since his mother had not been recovered from the kidnappers and his father’s possible farming-related death before he was born. He might have had a weary beginning, but his adoptive family gave him the first tidbits of knowledge and the taste of
Nesset, Kirk. "Insularity and Self-Enlargement in Raymond Carver's 'Cathedral.'" Essays in Literature. March 22, 1994: 116.
The African-American Years: Chronologies of American History and Experience. Ed. Gabriel Burns Stepto. New York: Charles Scribner 's Sons, 2003.
Wilson, Harriet E., and Henry Louis. Gates. Our Nig, Or, Sketches from the Life of a Free Black:
We begin his journey in Talbot County, Maryland where he was born. Being neglected the privilege of knowing his age, we are left with an estimate of the year in which he may have been born; 1818. His mother, Harriet Bailey, is immediately separated from him to break the natural bond between a mother and son. A common practice carried along by slave owners in order to ensure control over those who maintain their land. As a reader, I immediately noticed how his use of being denied something so important and natural instantly introduces a sense of anger towards those who deprived a child of something as graceful as the love of his mother. Although they were separated, his mother never gave up the opportunity to see her child as she would walk 12 miles after dark just to be able to lay down with her son. Dougl...
Often when we think of slavery in the 1800’s we associate the concept with only black slaves. However in the book of Uncle Tom’s Cabin we see that if mister Shelby wasn’t a slave owner and owed the debts to Haley, he has been just as likely to become a slave working for Haley. It is we arrive at the question what does it mean to be free and how do we obtain it. We will be looking at Frederick Douglass’s definition of slavery and how he overcame it through increasing his own literacy as a result of reading.
Similarly important was the role black women on an individual level played in offering a model for white women to follow. Because black men had a harder time finding employment, black women had a history of working ou...
Philadelphia, PA: Davis University Press, Inc. Smith, J, & Phelps, S (1992). Notable Black American Women (1st Ed). Detroit, MI: Gale & Co. Webster, Raymond B. (1999). African American Firsts in Science & Technology (1st Ed.).
Although Fredrick Douglass’ account of his interment as a slave outlines in many ways the typical life of an American slave, his narrative utilizes a subjectivity and in-depth perception of his treatment which creates a looking glass of 19th century American slave experience. The narrative itself works in part to both display Douglass’ personal and unique experiences as a slave while at the same time acting as a “cookie-cutter” for the American slave experience itself, that meaning that so many slaves existed in similar conditions to that of Douglass’ that the work doubles as a synopsis for slave lifestyle as a whole. This paper will analyze and expand on the experiences had by Douglass and also attempt to better explain the incidents he experienced throughout his life. Such examples will include Douglass’ account of life on the plantation, his culture shock from being transplanted to Baltimore from the plantation lifestyle and finally the overview of his life as a freedman in the state of New York. Using these particular points from the narrative, an overview of the slave experience with regards to psychological and psychosocial influence will also be reviewed and expanded upon to give the reader a more clear and concise understanding of Douglass’ work.
Nabrit, James M. Jr. “The Relative Progress and the Negro in the United States: Critical Summary and Evaluation.” Journal of Negro History 32.4 (1963): 507-516. JSTOR. U of Illinois Lib., Urbana. 11 Apr. 2004
" 'It is not the style of clothes one wears, neither the kind of automobile one drives, nor the amount of money one has in the bank, that counts. These mean nothing. It is simply service that measures success.'-"-George Washington Carver. George Washington Carver paved the way for agriculturists to come. He always went for the best throughout his whole life. He didn't just keep the best for himself; he gave it away freely for the benefit of mankind. Not only did he achieve his goal as the world's greatest agriculturist, but also he achieved the equality and respect of all. George Washington Carver was born near Diamond Grove, Missouri in 1864. He was born on a farm owned by Moses and Susan Carver. He was born a sick, weak baby and was unable to work on the farm. His weak condition started when a raiding party kidnapped him with his mom. He was returned to the Carver's farm with whooping cough. His mother had disappeared and the identity of his father was unknown, so the Carver's were left to care for him and his brother James. Here on the farm is where George first fell in love with plants and Mother Nature. He had his own little garden in the nearby woods where he would talk to the plants. He soon earned the nickname, "The Plant Doctor," and was producing his own medicines right on the farm. George's formal education started when he was twelve. He had, however, tried to get into schools in the past but was denied on the basis of race.
George Washington Carver was a African American scientist who showed many intriguing thoughts of nature throughout his life span of being one of the most dedicated scientist. George was born in Diamond Missouri, but his exact date of birth is not known by people. Never the less, one of the most remarkable inventors was born. Many people speculate that he was born sometime in January in 1964, while others believe he was born in June. George was born as a small and weak baby, and he had his first challenge of overcoming various obstacles as a baby. Possibly one of his biggest goals that he had to overcome was growing up without having any parents. His father was killed in an accident while he was just a baby. George lived in a small cabin with his mother and brother James. Everything was going fine for George until one night when a raiding group of people came breaking into there home. They kidnapped George, along with his mother, while James went in the woods for a place to hide so he won’t be captured. James would be leaded by his owner’s Moses and Susan Carver.
John A. Kirk, History Toady volume 52 issue 2, The Long Road to Equality for African-Americans
This book was about Booker T Washington who was a slave on a plantation in Virginia until he was nine years old. His autobiography offers readers a look into his life as a young child. Simple pleasures, such as eating with a fork, sleeping in a bed, and wearing comfortable clothing, were unavailable to Washington and his family. His brief glimpses into a schoolhouse were all it took to make him long for a chance to study and learn. Readers will enjoy the straightforward and strong voice Washington uses to tell his story. The book document his childhood as a slave and his efforts to get an education, and he directly credits his education with his later success as a man of action in his community and the nation. Washington details his transition from student to teacher, and outlines his own development as an educator and founder of the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. He tells the story of Tuskegee's growth, from classes held in a shantytown to a campus with many new buildings. In the final chapters of, it Washington describes his career as a public speaker and civil rights activist. Washington includes the address he gave at the Atlanta Cotton States and International Exposition in 1895, which made him a national figure. He concludes his autobiography with an account of several recognitions he has received for his work, including an honorary degree from Harvard, and two significant visits to Tuskegee, one by President McKinley and another by General Samuel C. Armstrong. During his lifetime, Booker T. Washington was a national leader for the betterment of African Americans in the post-Reconstruction South. He advocated for economic and industrial improvement of Blacks while accommodating Whites on voting rights and social equality.
King, David C. Children's Encyclopedia of American History. New York: DK in Association with the Smithsonian Institution, 2003. Print.