In this book, author John Sibley Butler traces the unique development of business enterprises and other community organizations among Black Americans from before the Civil War into the present. He compares these efforts to other strong traditions of self-help among groups such as Japanese-Americans, Jewish Americans, and Greek-Americans. The author also shows how the higher education of Black children is already a valued tradition among Black self-help groups--such that today their offspring are more likely to be third and fourth generation college graduates. Butler challenges the myth that nothing can be done to salvage America's underclass without a massive infusion of public dollars, and offers a fresh perspective on those community based organizations and individuals who act to solve local social and economic problems.