Excerpt adapted from The Peanut Man
from America’s Library

Contrary to popular belief, George Washington Carver did not invent peanut butter. However, he did invent more than 300 other uses for peanuts, including peanut milk, peanut paper, and peanut soap. Carver thought that if farmers and other people started making things out of peanuts, they could become more self-sufficient and would not have to rely on manufacturers for so many of their goods. Although not many of Carver’s peanut products were ever mass-produced, he did help spread the word about peanuts and, as a result, peanuts became more and more popular. By 1920, there were enough peanut farmers to form the United Peanut Association of America (UPAA). Then, in 1921, the UPAA asked Carver to speak to the U. S. Congress about the many uses of peanuts. Soon enough, the whole country had heard of George Washington Carver, the Peanut Man! And by 1940, peanuts had become one of the top six crops in the United States.

The excerpt from America’s Library’s “The Peanut Man,” 1. shows how George Washington Carver helped popularize the peanut or 2. highlights the various uses George Washington Carver found for peanuts.
Carver 1. used peanuts to make products such as peanut milk, peanut paper, and peanut soap or 2. found hundreds of ways for people to make their own products from peanuts.
As a result of Carver’s work, 1. in 1920, peanut farmers asked Carver to speak to the US Congress or 2. , by 1940, peanuts became a major crop grown in the United States.