The History of Black Business in America: Capitalism, Race, Entrepreneurship: Volume 1, to 1865

By Juliet E.K. Walker

Book Overview

Despite almost four centuries of black independent self-help enterprises, the agency of African Americans in attempting to forge their own economic liberation through business activities and entrepreneurship has remained noticeably absent from the historical record. Juliet Walker's award-winning book is the only source that provides a detailed study of the continuity, diversity, and multiplicity of independent self-help economic activities among African Americans. This new, updated edition covers African American business history through the end of the Civil War and features the first comprehensive account of black business during this era.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0807859109
• ISBN13: 9780807859100
• Release Date: December 2009
• Publisher: University of North Carolina Press
• Length: 432 Pages
• Weight: 1.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Filling the gaps

This work fills a void in African American and general U. S. History. It is important for the general public, not just academia. Business success has became a negative image for too many youths, and this work shows that African Americans have always been successful within the capitalist system as entrepreurs, not merely consumers. It also demonstrates how African Americans have been a vital part of the economic development of the nation!

A missing part of American History

This book is covers the development of African-American Business from The Colonial times to the present. It covers corporations, partnerships, banks and various other enterprises. You will enjoy this book.

A work that is needed

This book traces the development of black enterprise in America. It is a return to the days when communities, including those in the tradition of black Americans, placed enterprise at the very center of their activity. It also reminds us of the blue-print for success in America. More importantly, it is a return to scholarship which concentrates on the importance of self-help, enterprise building and the ability to think and act like a free person. Since the early 1960s, studies of failure have dominated literature on black Americans. This book returns us to literature which examine how people actually created economic stability in hostile situations. It also reminds us that the excellent literature on present day immigrant groups share a lot in common with the ealry literature on black Americans. A great piece of scholarship. It is also instructive to note that Madam Walker, Booker T. Washington, and Mr. Johnson are pictured on the cover. This denotes a time which entrepreneurs, rather than politicians and ministers, were the most important leaders in the black community.