That innovative black Americans flourished in late 19th- and early 20th- century America is a little-known part of our heritage. This talk celebrates a number of great minds--including Madame C. J. Walker, the first self-made female millionaire in America; George Washington Carver, who revolutionized agricultural science; and others--that, under the freedom of the capitalist system, triumphed over bigotry to reach great intellectual achievements.