• In the 1800s, several Black entrepreneurs overcame systemic racism and legal barriers to amass fortunes that would be worth millions or even hundreds of millions today

In the 1800s, Black millionaires operated in an environment that was not just competitive, but often state-sanctioned to ensure their failure. While their wealth provided a degree of protection, it also made them high-profile targets for resentment and legal sabotage

1.Legal and Systematic Barriers

2. Physical Violence and White Envy

3. Finanical Sabotage

4.Social Passing and Identity

• Jeremiah G. Hamilton (c. 1807–1875): Known as the richest Black man in the U.S. during the mid-1800s, Hamilton was a Wall Street broker with a fortune exceeding $2 million (over $250 million today).
• William Alexander Leidesdorff (1810–1848): Often cited as one of the first, he was a San Francisco-based businessman who owned the first steamship in the area and managed significant real estate.
• Mary Ellen Pleasant (1814–1904): A self-made millionaire who built a fortune in California through investments and boarding houses, utilizing her wealth to aid the Underground Railroad.
• Robert Reed Church (1839–1912): Born into slavery, he became a Memphis real estate tycoon and founded the first Black-owned bank in the city.
• James Forten (1766–1842): A Philadelphia sailmaker who became one of the nation’s wealthiest men, using his resources to fund abolitionist causes.
• Elizabeth Gloucester (1817–1883): A businesswoman and abolitionist in Brooklyn, she was considered one of the wealthiest Black women in the country.