George Washington Carver (c. 1860- date of death?;Header image from Wikimedia Commons: Public Domain) was a prominent black ecologist whose contributions have transcended across generations. I chose Carver as the subject of this post because he overcame slavery to establish himself as one of the most prominent scientists of his time. Carver was born into slavery in Diamond, Missouri sometime around the year 1860.
George Washington Carver was not allowed to attend school in his hometown because he was black, so he had to attend a school 16 km away. After high school he applied to the Highland University but when he arrived and the institution realized that he was black, his acceptance was reversed due to his race. However, Carver was able to gain admission to Iowa State University, where he studied botany. He later became the first-ever black faculty member after receiving his master’s degree in science (which year?).
Carver is famous for his research in plant pathology and mycology. He introduced crop rotation practices for farmers to help them restore depleted lands. Benefits of crop rotation included increased soil nitrogen. Nitrogen levels in cotton plantation soils were often depleted and by alternating the cotton crops with legumes like peanuts, the nitrogen levels would increase. The legumes were also a source food.
Carver created agricultural extension programs that trained local farmers in Alabama and Iowa. He taught methods of crop rotation, introduced several alternative cash crops for farmers that could improve the soil in areas where cotton had been heavily cultivated. He also initiated research into crop products (chemurgy), and taught generations of black students farming techniques for self-sufficiency.
During his lifetime, Carver received a lot of honuors for his work and he was one of a few Americans accepted into the Royal Society of Arts in England. His work was also publicly praised by the American president at that time Franklin Roosevelt.
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Applied Plant Ecology Winter 2020 