February 3 / George Washington Carver

From the Constitution of the United States of America
Amendment XV
Ratified Feb. 3, 1870.)
Section 1
[Right of certain citizens to vote established.]
The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
Section 2
[Congress given power to enforce this article.]
The Congress shall have power to enforce this legislation

George Washington Carver

George Washington Carver was born a slave. He was sickly as a child and was drawn to plants about which he became very knowledgeable. His desire for education led him eventually to Simpson College in Indianola.
In 1887, he was accepted into Simpson as its second African-American student. While in college at Simpson, he showed a strong aptitude for singing and art. His art teacher, Etta Budd, was the daughter of the head of the department of horticulture at Iowa State: Joseph Budd. Etta convinced Carver to pursue a career that paid better than art and so he transferred to Iowa State.

He transferred in 1891 to Iowa State Agricultural College, where he was the first black student, and later the first black faculty member. In order to avoid confusion with another George Carver in his classes, he began to use the name George Washington Carver.

Much of Carver's fame was based on his research and promotion of alternative crops to cotton, such as peanuts and sweet potatoes. He wanted poor farmers to grow alternative crops as both a source of their own food and a cash crop. His most popular bulletin contained 105 existing food recipes that used peanuts.

Carver's most important accomplishments were in areas other than industrial products from peanuts, including agricultural extension education, improvement of racial relations, mentoring children, poetry, painting, religion, advocacy of sustainable agriculture and appreciation of plants and nature. He served as a valuable role model for African-Americans and an example of the importance of hard work, a positive attitude and a good education.
Addendum: The Field Museum in Chicago has an Exhibit this month honoring Dr. Carter. Best of all it is free. Visit the Web site here.
Adapted from this article.
Read more about him here.