George Washington Carver National Monument

George Washington Carver National Monument

George Washington Carver was an American agricultural scientist and inventor. He actively promoted alternative crops to cotton and methods to prevent soil depletion.

He was the most prominent black scientist of the early 20th century. While a professor at Tuskegee Institute, Carver developed techniques to improve soils depleted by repeated plantings of cotton.

He wanted poor farmers to grow alternative crops such as peanuts and sweet potatoes and as a source of their own food and to improve their quality of life.