The History of Black Business in America: Capitalism, Race, Entrepreneurship

“Juliet Walker’s History of Black Business in America is without peer. It is a must read for anyone who wishes to understand the struggle of African Americans in a field where there have always been barriers.” —John Hope Franklin

“This work addresses a huge gap that has existed in the coverage of American black business history. A must read for anyone interested in the development of business in America.” —James Cash, Harvard Business School

“Walker has produced an excellent, highly readable, and informative book that will stand the test for years to come as the standard in the field of black history. It is a superb contribution to the literature of African American history.” —Journal of American History

“Like Du Bois’s work a century before, Walker’s book will attract scholars to the field of black business history and compel them to realize how this subject sheds considerable light on many aspects of American business history.” —Business History Review

“This massive study does indeed break new ground, and in a big way. . . . It has interpretative depth and substance, stressing the African source of a mercantile ethos among blacks. . . . To be sure, no one can now contend that blacks lack an entrepreneurial tradition. . . . It is a first-rate piece of historical scholarship.” —Journal of American Ethnic History

“Walker makes a magnificent contribution to the literature on African American entrepreneurship and capitalism. Shattering myths, pointing to possibilities, and refining our thinking about procrustean racism, Professor Walker explores perceptively a world where blacks have been much maligned and vilified. . . . No effective discussion of the black community can go on without Professor Walker’s book as a basis for understanding the peculiarities and promises of Black life in America.” —H-Net

“A richly detailed, sweeping examination of black business from precolonial Africa to the conclusion of the Civil War. . . . Highly recommended.” —CHOICE