Unearthing Agricultural Legacies: The Jesup Wagon's Impact on Black Heritage and Extension Services
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.v67i4.3399Keywords:
Cooperative Extension Service, Agricultural Education, Historical Research, Black Leaders, Black HeritageAbstract
This historical research study sought to use the Jesup Wagon's invention to highlight the role of African American Extension agents. The following guided the study: the purpose of the Jesup wagon, how the Jesup wagon worked, key individuals involved, immediate and lasting impacts, and the impact on future programs. Through collaborative efforts by Booker T. Washington, George Washington Carver, Thomas Campbell, and Seaman Knapp, the Jesup Wagon would become a revolutionary movement that improved the lives and homes of Black people in the rural South. Equipped with an agriculturalist, home economist, architect, and nurse, the Jesup Wagon would provide lessons on a variety of topics, including, but not limited to, farming techniques, food preservation, and animal care. The wagon was also equipped with games for the children. Today, modern-day Jesup Wagons are utilized throughout the country for educational programming and facilitate greater knowledge transfer and interaction between agents and communities.
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