{"product_id":"black-fortunes-the-story-of-the-first-six-african-americans-who-survived-slavery-and-became-millionaires-isbn-9780062437600","title":"Black Fortunes: The Story of the First Six African Americans Who Survived Slavery and Became Millionaires","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e“By telling the little-known stories of six pioneering African American entrepreneurs, \u003ci\u003eBlack Fortunes\u003c\/i\u003e makes a worthy contribution to black history, to business history, and to American history.”—Margot Lee Shetterly, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e Bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eHidden Figures\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBetween the years of 1830 and 1927, as the last generation of blacks born into slavery was reaching maturity, a small group of industrious, tenacious, and daring men and women broke new ground to attain the highest levels of financial success.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMary Ellen Pleasant, used her Gold Rush wealth to further the cause of abolitionist John Brown. Robert Reed Church, became the largest landowner in Tennessee. Hannah Elias, the mistress of a New York City millionaire, used the land her lover gave her to build an empire in Harlem. Orphan and self-taught chemist Annie Turnbo-Malone, developed the first national brand of hair care products. Mississippi school teacher O. W. Gurley, developed a piece of Tulsa, Oklahoma, into a “town” for wealthy black professionals and craftsmen that would become known as “the Black Wall Street.” Although Madam C. J Walker was given the title of America’s first female black millionaire, she was not. She was the first, however, to flaunt and openly claim her wealth—a dangerous and revolutionary act.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNearly all the unforgettable personalities in this amazing collection were often attacked, demonized, or swindled out of their wealth. \u003ci\u003eBlack Fortunes\u003c\/i\u003e illuminates as never before the birth of the black business titan and a vital chapter of Black history.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis compelling work of narrative history reveals the hidden stories of America’s first Black millionaires:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eGilded Age Titans:\u003c\/b\u003e Meet the six trailblazers—including Mary Ellen Pleasant, who used her Gold Rush wealth to fund abolition, and Robert Reed Church, a former slave who became Tennessee’s largest landowner.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eSelf-Made Millionaires:\u003c\/b\u003e Discover the ingenuity of entrepreneurs like Annie Turnbo-Malone, who developed the first national brand of hair care products, and O. W. Gurley, the visionary behind Tulsa’s “Black Wall Street.”\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eHidden American History:\u003c\/b\u003e Uncover the truth about Madam C. J. Walker, who wasn’t the first self-made Black female millionaire, and Hannah Elias, who used a lover’s gifts to build an empire in Harlem.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eStories of Resilience:\u003c\/b\u003e Learn how these unforgettable figures were often attacked and swindled out of their fortunes, yet persevered to become business titans against the backdrop of the Jim Crow era.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e | \u003cp\u003eBetween 1830 and 1927, as the last generation of blacks born into slavery was reaching maturity, a small group of daring men and women broke new ground to attain the highest levels of financial success. \u003cem\u003eBlack Fortunes\u003c\/em\u003e is the astonishing untold history of America’s first black millionaires–self-made entrepreneurs who endured incredible challenges to amass their personal fortunes–including an adventurer, a landowner, a self-taught chemist, a millionaire’s mistress, a schoolteacher, and a flamboyant rebel. Inspiring and surprising, \u003cem\u003eBlack Fortunes\u003c\/em\u003e illuminates as never before the birth of the black business titan.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003e“By telling the little-known stories of six pioneering African American entrepreneurs, \u003cem\u003eBlack Fortunes\u003c\/em\u003e makes a worthy contribution to black history, to business history, and to American history.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMargot Lee Shetterly, New York Times Bestselling author of Hidden Figures\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Imagine the irony of having been born enslaved, and elevated to millionaire status. These millionaires made their fortunes through hard work, guile, luck, and uncanny entrepreneurial acumen. They accumulated wealth against all odds, clearing the hurdles of custom, law, and racial hostility. Wills shares little-known details about these rich and absorbing lives, and gives these millionaires a dimensionality that some history ignores. A really good read!” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eJulianne Malveaux, Economist and Author of Surviving and Thriving: 365 Facts in Black Economic History\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Black Fortunes is not simply the story of a handful of African Americans who wove skill and good fortune into wealth, it is the story of the world in which they managed to do so. With this volume Shomari Wills has added layers to our understanding of the black past and its implications for the American present.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eJelani Cobb, Author of The Substance of Hope\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Shomari Wills has written an amazingly informing account of how the nation’s First Six African Americans who came up from slavery became millionaires. \u003cem\u003eBlack Fortunes\u003c\/em\u003e recounts an invaluable aspect of American history that speaks poignantly of the remarkable success of black entrepreneurship against insuperable odds in the last half of the nineteenth century. By providing extensive research into the lives of these astute business men and women of color, Wills gives an insightful view into a salient aspect of American history that is often overlooked.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDavid C. Driskell, Director of  David C. Driskell Center for the Study of the African Diaspora at the University of Maryland\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“The history mined in \u003cem\u003eBlack Fortunes\u003c\/em\u003e will come as a revelation to many who will be shocked to learn that there was a black wealth class immediately after slavery….a classic story of black resilience and the determination to upend a racist social order in the most meaningful, quantifiable way, but it’s also a cautionary tale about the unique challenges African Americas face in trying to build and sustain wealth.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBlack Enterprise\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“The stories of black success against all odds will motivate entrepreneurs for generations to come.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTallahassee Democrat\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Fascinating… Wills’ storytelling is infectious, his subjects are irresistible, and his broad coverage invites readers to venture further into the events and historical context he so vividly introduces.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Written in a straightforward style…it will appeal to general readers.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“[An] engaging profile of the first African Americans to become millionaires… \u003cem\u003eBlack Fortunes\u003c\/em\u003e provides necessary context to [their] achievements and as such is a significant addition to our ever-evolving understanding of collective history.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“[A] history-rich book.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eEbony\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Incredible stories of six self-made African-American millionaires…This highly readable group biography illustrates the ways those early millionaires ‘survived assassination attempts, lynchings, frivolous lawsuits, and criminal cases’ and, in doing so, paved the way for Oprah, Beyoncé, and Jay-Z.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Shomari Wills captures six African Americans who did the improbable, who somehow escaped slavery, someway evaded racist traps, and by some means arrived and remained at wealth. Black Fortunes is as astonishing and rich as the lives of the first Black millionaires it chronicles.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eIbram X. Kendi, National Book Award-winning Author of Stamped from the Beginning\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"Amistad","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44888850432229,"sku":"NP9780062437600","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780062437600.jpg?v=1730229952","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/black-fortunes-the-story-of-the-first-six-african-americans-who-survived-slavery-and-became-millionaires-isbn-9780062437600","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}