George Washington Carver was an astonishing human being, overcoming the racial prejudice of the time and even his own origins as a former slave to become one of the greatest living scientists and intellectuals of his time. Even today, Carver's name is synonymous with many scientific and agricultural achievements of the 20th century. But he didn't just dedicate himself to his own education; Carver worked passionately to help other Black farmers better understand modern farming techniques, even going so far as to create a mobile school of agriculture. This is the truth about George Washington Carver's school on wheels.
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00:00The name of George Washington Carver is synonymous with many scientific and agricultural advancements
00:06of the 20th century. At a time when African Americans were still often seen as inferior
00:11to their white counterparts, and even as a former slave, Carver still managed to become
00:16one of the most influential scientists of the day. It was the diehard pursuit of his
00:20education that provided him the opportunities to succeed in life. He was...
00:25"...a man who actually wanted to make a difference."
00:31He not only graduated from high school in 1880, but went on to become the first African
00:36American to earn both a Bachelor of Science and Master of Agriculture degree in the United
00:41States. He then used his position at the Tuskegee Institute under the direction of Booker T.
00:46Washington to provide a way to bring his knowledge directly to farmers. Washington had spent
00:51time with Black farmers since about 1881 in his capacity with the Tuskegee Normal and
00:57Industrial Institute. He realized that the rural farmers he visited were in great need
01:01of education, but they were too bound to their land to travel to learn. It was a problem.
01:06But when Carver was hired on as head of the Tuskegee School of Agriculture, the idea of
01:11Jessup Agricultural Wagon was born. The original wagon, named for Morris K. Jessup, who financed
01:17the project, was a horse-drawn vehicle designed and built by Carver and his students to take
01:22education to the community. They would go on the weekends bringing materials and necessary
01:27tools and give demonstrations to the rural farmers. Booker T. Washington earned enough
01:32political support for the mission in 1897 that the program was dubbed the Tuskegee Agricultural
01:37Experiment Station. That distinction upgraded the effort with a government-supplied four-wheeled
01:43coach, more tools, seed packets, and demonstration plants which were all taken around to teach
01:48farmers best practices for growing their crops more efficiently.
01:52While Carver never actually operated the wagon itself, he selected the equipment and drew
01:57the charts for farm operations. He also chose lecture topics focused on self-sufficient
02:02farming, fertilization, and the best crops to grow in certain soils. And it wasn't just
02:06raising animals and crops that were the focus of the movable school. There was also instruction
02:12for women, specifically for their roles in the house. This included how to cook, preserve,
02:17and can farm-produced foods, and how to maintain their homes. Education on health and best
02:22sanitary practices were shared as well.
02:24In 1914, there was an increased focus on educating women when the Smith-Lever Act resulted in
02:30more financial support for the traveling wagon school. The act created a national educational
02:36extension system for those whose livelihoods were based in agriculture. That extension
02:41meant that education specific to women's roles in the household and as caretakers were
02:45financially supported and a home demonstration agent was hired on full-time.
02:50In 1918, the Jessup wagon was replaced with a Ford truck called Knapp Agricultural Truck,
02:56after a man named Seaman A. Knapp. Knapp was known as the father of the National Cooperative
03:01Extension System. In the first summer of its educational efforts, an estimated 2,000 people
03:06per month benefited from the efforts of George Washington Carver and Booker T. Washington's
03:11brainchild. By 1923, the Knapp Agricultural Truck wasn't enough to keep up with the demand.
03:17It had helped so many for so long, though, that more than 30,000 people chipped in so
03:22the program could buy a new vehicle.
03:24That's when what started as a little horse-drawn Jessup wagon evolved into its third incarnation,
03:30called the Booker T. Washington Agricultural School on Wheels. This upgraded version was
03:34now bringing vaccines for livestock, spraying equipment, an early version of a generator,
03:40a baby bath and clothes, sewing machines, carpenter's tools, medicine cabinets, and
03:45even playground equipment. With the Federalized Extension Program getting off the ground,
03:49the Tuskegee program that created the movable school was finally retired in 1944.
03:55For his efforts, George Washington Carver is not only remembered as using his vast knowledge
03:59to revolutionize the agricultural industry, he also helped empower an oppressed group
04:04of people to take control of their future.