READINGGeorge Washington CarverGeor

READING
George Washington Carver
George Washington Carver, who was born a slave in slave in 1861, became one of America’s greatest scientists in the field of agriculture. His discoveries changed farming in the south of the United States. A quiet and kind man, he could have become rich from his discoveries but preferred “to be of the greatest good to the greatest number of my people.”
George’s mother was a slave, but soon after he was born, he and his brother lost their mother and became orphans. They were raised by Moses and Susan Carver, who were their owners. Slaves took the names of their owners, so George Washington’s last name was Carver, too. In 1865, there were no longer slaves in the United States, but George and his brother continued to live with the Carvers. The Carvers gave him as much of an education as they could. At age 12, George left the Carvers to start life on his own.