9781422283264

on the farm. He spent most of his time helping with house- hold chores such as cooking, laundry, and sewing. The Carvers taught George to read and write. As a re- sult, he gained an appreciation for learning and a thirst for knowledge. George left the Carver home when he was young to go to a school for black children. Eventually, af- ter attending several different schools, he graduated from Minneapolis High School in Kansas. He was accepted to Highland College but when he arrived on campus, he was asked to leave. The administrators did not realize he was black, and indicated that they did not accept students of his

race. Several years lat- er, he applied and was accepted to Iowa State Agricultural College in Ames. Carver was interest- ed in many things: mu- sic, art, botany, chemis- try, and agriculture. He eventually decided to study botany and went on to earn both a bachelor of science degree and a masters’ degree in plant pathology at Iowa State. After Iowa State, he was hired by the great

Though slavery had ended in Carv- er’s time, many blacks still farmed.

12

Black Achievement in Science: Environmental Science