5 little-known black slaveowners who changed the course of American history

William Ellison

One of the largest slave owners in South Carolina in the 1860s, Ellison was born a slave and was bought by a white slave owner named William Ellison who educated him. By the age of 26, in 1816, he was freed by his master and he changed his name to William Ellison Jr as a sign of gratitude. A year later, he set up a shop as a cotton gin maker in South Carolina and began purchasing slaves for his business. Records say that by 1850, he had bought 156 hectares of land, with 32 slaves to work it. By 1860, he had 53 slaves and when the Civil War began, he offered the army 53 of his slaves. Apart from being the harsh master who sometimes starved his slaves, Ellison was noted to have gained a lot of wealth as a “slave breeder”, where he sold almost all females born, and kept a few for future breeding. He, however, kept many of the young males, as he found them useful on his plantation.