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George Washington Carver: Creative Scientist
| Article
# : |
12544 |
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Section : |
NATURAL SCIENCE
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| Issue
Date : |
7 / 1987 |
4,305 Words |
| Author
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Vivian E. Hilburn
Vivian E. Hilburn is a guidance counselor and instructor of
Spanish at Paul Quinn College in Waco, Texas. She has
been the director of the Black Studies Club on campus for
many years. |
Few scientists--and particularly few specialists in botany or chemistry--have a monument erected in their memory, and still fewer can boast of having a foundation or museum carrying their name. All of these and numerous other honors have come to George Washington Carver, a man of humble birth who, until his death in the middle of this century, etched indelible marks on the history and lives of his people and his nation.
Carver, the son of a female slave in the home of Moses and Susan Carver, was born near Diamond Grove, Missouri, circa 1864. His childhood was tumultuous because of the unstable conditions of the times. Southwest Missouri, a frontier area, was bordered by the slaveholding, secession-oriented Arkansas, "Free Kansas," and the Oklahoma Indian Territory. Moses Carver, a slaveholding Unionist, was caught in the middle of the issues dividing the nation. Linda McMurry writes in George Washington Carver: Scientist and Symbol, "Throughout the war, area residents were prey to looting and killing by confederate bushwackers, Union raiders, and ordinary outlaws taking advantage of the unsettled conditions." Moses Carver's homestead was raided by Confederate bushwackers several times, and on one of those raids, George and his mother were kidnapped and taken to Arkansas.
The Carvers were fond of Mary and her two sons--their only slaves--and wanted to find them. A neighbor, who was familiar with the guerrilla bands in the area, said he knew their whereabouts and agreed to hunt for them. His search uncovered George, who was returned to the Carvers, but Mary was never found. George and his brother Jim had always lived with their mother in a smaller cabin on the Carver property, but with the disappearance of Mary, the Carvers moved the boys into the main cabin with them and they lived as a family.
George was a frail and sickly child due to an earlier bout with whooping cough. He stuttered because of a speech impediment and had a falsetto voice about which he was often teased. The heavier chores on the farm were allotted to Jim, who was older, healthier, and stronger. George helped Susan around the house, and learned cooking, sewing, laundering, and needle work.
The young George was untiringly inquisitive and could often be seen in the woods, scraping earth, gathering bark from trees, and coddling weeds and flowers. He gathered cans and gourds in which he grew sprouts. He became so adept at cultivating plants that neighbors called him the Plant Doctor. His desire "to know" and "to do" became a lifelong obsession. Until his death
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