eorge Washington Carver, who was born a 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." S
George's mother was a slave, but soon after he was bom, he and
his brother lost their mother and became orphans. They were raised by
Moses and Susan Carver, who were their ovmers. 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.