Out of Slave's Ransom to Washboard Wizard Summary

Carver: A Life in Poems by Marilyn Nelson discusses George Washington Carver's life from childhood, as raised by his white foster parents, the Carvers, to his history-making, agricultural inventions at Tuskegee Institute to his death in 1943.

In the poem "Out of 'Slaves' Ransom," George Washington Carver is born in Diamond Grove, Missouri. His mother, Mary, is a slave owned by Moses and Susan Carver. Mary has an older son, Jim, who is Carver's brother. Mary and George are stolen. Moses hires John Bentley to find them. He only finds George as a sickly infant. The people who care for George give him to Bentley, who in turn gives George to Mrs. Susan Carver. Bentley does understand how she, a white woman, is so enthusiastic over a black baby. As a reward...