Education All pictures taken by Percy White and are the property of FindFamilyRoots.com unless otherwise indicated. George Washington Carver 1864 to January 5, 1943 |
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As head of the Agricultural Department for the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute for Negroes, (Tuskegee University), for almost 50 years, George Washington Carver developed more than 300 uses for peanuts, 100 uses for sweet potatoes and 100 uses for pecans. He patented only 3 out of 500 agricultural based inventions stating, “God gave them to me. How can I charge anyone else?”
Carver helped local black farmers fight against poverty and malnutrition by teaching them to rotate crops to increase production. Through his studies he learned that the more lucrative cotton plant absorbed nitrogen from the soil while certain pea plants added nitrogen to top soils. He taught farmers that by rotating between cotton and pea crops, they could keep soil nutrient levels high and increased crop yields. When market prices dropped due the higher number of peanuts being sold, Carver developed additional uses for the peanut. These advances helped black farmers maintain nutritious diets.
In 1916 Carver was appointed to the Royal Society of Arts in London, England. In 1923 The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, (NAACP) awarded him the Spingarn Medal. Throughout his life he was offered large sums of money to teach or do research for better known and better equipped institutions. He chose instead to stay at Tuskegee and focus his efforts on helping African Americans in the south improve their living conditions.
PICTURES: Top Row: George Washington Carver, internet public domain. Second Row L: Funeral. Second Row R: Grave Third Row: Close ups of grave.
SOURCES: Books Appiah, Kwame, Anthony and Gates, Henry Louis, ed. "Africana The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience." 1st ed. New York: Civitas, 1999. Print. Stewart, Jeffrey C. "1001 Things Everyone Should Know About African American History." New York: Broadway. Reprinted 2001. Print. Site Visit Gravesite. Tuskegee University. Tuskegee, AL. 5 Aug. 2009.
INTERRED: Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, Alabama
SUBMITTED: October 2, 2009. Pictures taken August 5, 2009. Black/white pictures taken from pictures of history marker.
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Carter Godwin Woodson December 19, 1875 to April 3, 1950 |
Dr. Carter G. Woodson, the father of African American History Month. Dr. Woodson was the second African American to earn a PhD from Harvard University in 1912; the first was Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois in 1895. In 1926 Dr. Woodson started Negro History Week the second week of February to mark the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln and to recognize the achievements of blacks. In the late 1960's Negro History Week was changed to Black History Month. Dr. Woodson also authored or co-authored 19 books. The Mis-Education of the Negro is one of his more notable writings.
PICTURES: Top: Drawing of Dr. Woodson courtesy of The National Archives. Second Row L: Front of gravestone. Second Row M: Back of gravestone. Second Row R: Grave marker. Bottom L: Home of Dr. Woodson, 1538 9th Street, NW Washington, DC 20001. Registered as a National Historic Landmark. Bottom R: Close up of home.
SOURCES: Books Appiah, Kwame, Anthony and Gates, Henry Louis, ed. "Woodson Africana The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience." 1st ed. New York: Civitas, 1999. Print. Site Visit Former Home. Washington, DC, 16 Feb. 2009. Gravesite. Lincoln Memorial Cemetery. Suitland, MD. 16 Feb. 2009.
INTERRED: Lincoln Memorial Cemetery, 4001 Suitland Road, Suitland, Maryland 20746. Phone: 301-568-8410.
SUBMITTED: February 18, 2009. Pictures taken February 16, 2009, except black/white picture.
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Pictures taken and submitted by Percy White unless otherwise indicated
African American History, African American Culture, African American Churches, African American Cemeteries, African American Schools, Places of Interest in African American History |