The Civil War freed the slaves, but it didn't teach them how to live as free people. After the war, schools were created to help train African Americans. Tuskegee Institute in Alabama opened in 1881, and it was one of most famous training schools. Booker T. Washington was its president. Job skills such as carpentry, printing, brick making, and home economics were taught there. Tuskegee also provided training for elementary school teachers.

In 1896, Booker T. Washington needed someone to teach agriculture at Tuskegee. George Washington Carver was just finishing his master's degree in agriculture science at Iowa State. Washington offered Carver the job. What did Carver say?