The Strange Career of William Ellis
The Texas Slave Who Became a Mexican Millionaire
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Narrated by:
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JD Jackson
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By:
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Karl Jacoby
About this listen
To his contemporaries in Gilded Age Manhattan, Guillermo Eliseo was a fantastically wealthy Mexican, the proud owner of a luxury apartment overlooking Central Park, a busy Wall Street office, and scores of mines and haciendas in Mexico. But for all his obvious riches and his elegant appearance, Eliseo was also the possessor of a devastating secret: He was not, in fact, from Mexico at all. Rather, he had begun life as a slave named William Ellis, born on a cotton plantation in Texas during the waning years of King Cotton. After emancipation, Ellis, capitalizing on the Spanish he learned during his childhood along the Mexican border and his ambiguous appearance, engaged in a virtuoso act of reinvention. He crafted an alter ego, the Mexican Guillermo Eliseo, who was able to access many of the privileges denied to African Americans at the time.
The Strange Career of William Ellis offers fresh insights on the history of the Reconstruction era, the US-Mexico border, and the abiding riddle of race. At a time when the United States is deepening its connections with Latin America and recognizing that race is more than simply Black or White, Ellis' story could not be more timely or important.
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By: Carrie Gibson
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American Colonies: The Settling of North America
- Penguin History of the United States, Book 1
- By: Alan Taylor
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 21 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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In the first volume in the Penguin History of the United States series, edited by Eric Foner, Alan Taylor challenges the traditional story of colonial history by examining the many cultures that helped make America, from the native inhabitants from millennia past through the decades of Western colonization and conquest and across the entire continent, all the way to the Pacific coast.
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Excellent ..
- By aintbuyinit on 09-03-18
By: Alan Taylor
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The Other Slavery
- The Uncovered Story of Indian Enslavement in America
- By: Andrés Reséndez
- Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
- Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Since the time of Columbus, Indian slavery was illegal in much of the American continent. Yet, as Andrés Reséndez illuminates in his myth-shattering The Other Slavery, it was practiced for centuries as an open secret. There was no abolitionist movement to protect the tens of thousands of natives who were kidnapped and enslaved by the conquistadors, then forced to descend into the "mouth of hell" of 18th-century silver mines or, later, made to serve as domestics for Mormon settlers and rich Anglos.
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overall a good book
- By Paola V. Hidalgo on 01-23-17
By: Andrés Reséndez
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Gateway to Freedom
- The Hidden History of the Underground Railroad
- By: Eric Foner
- Narrated by: J. D. Jackson
- Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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The dramatic story of fugitive slaves and the antislavery activists who defied the law to help them reach freedom. They are little known to history: Sydney Howard Gay, an abolitionist newspaper editor; Louis Napoleon, a furniture polisher; Charles B. Ray, a black minister. At great risk they operated the Underground Railroad in New York, a city whose businesses, banks, and politics were deeply enmeshed in the slave economy.
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Hard to stay awake....
- By Chrissie on 02-18-15
By: Eric Foner
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The American Slave Coast
- A History of the Slave-Breeding Industry
- By: Ned Sublette, Constance Sublette
- Narrated by: Robin Eller
- Length: 30 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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The American Slave Coast tells the horrific story of how the slavery business in the United States made the reproductive labor of "breeding women" essential to the expansion of the nation. The book shows how slaves' children, and their children's children, were human savings accounts that were the basis of money and credit. This was so deeply embedded in the economy of the slave states that it could be decommissioned only by emancipation, achieved through the bloodiest war in the history of the United States.
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Get "The Half Has Never Been Told" instead!
- By Ary Shalizi on 11-28-16
By: Ned Sublette, and others
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Latino Americans
- The 500-Year Legacy That Shaped a Nation
- By: Ray Suarez
- Narrated by: Ray Suarez
- Length: 9 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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As the largest minority in the country, Latino Americans make up an integral part of American history and continue to make major social, cultural, and political contributions. Latino Americans, vividly and candidly tells how the story of Latino Americans is the story of the United States, revealing the personal struggles and successes of immigrants, poets, soldiers, and others who have made an impact on history.
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Unknown Latino History
- By Lou on 11-27-18
By: Ray Suarez
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The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution: 1763-1789
- By: Robert Middlekauff
- Narrated by: Robert Fass
- Length: 26 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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The first book to appear in the illustrious Oxford History of the United States, this critically-acclaimed volume - a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize - offers an unsurpassed history of the Revolutionary War and the birth of the American republic.
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Strong History Rich With Behind The Scenes Details
- By John on 10-06-11
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A Different Mirror
- A History of Multicultural America
- By: Ronald Takaki
- Narrated by: Peter Berkrot
- Length: 18 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Upon its first publication, A Different Mirror was hailed by critics and academics everywhere as a dramatic new retelling of our nation's past. Beginning with the colonization of the New World, it recounts the history of America in the voice of the non-Anglo peoples of the United States---Native Americans, African Americans, Jews, Irish Americans, Asian Americans, Latinos, and others---groups who helped create this country's rich mosaic culture.
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All mirrors distort
- By Michael on 04-02-17
By: Ronald Takaki
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City of Dreams
- The 400-Year Epic History of Immigrant New York
- By: Tyler Anbinder
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 24 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Tyler Anbinder's story is one of innovators and artists, revolutionaries and rioters, staggering deprivation and soaring triumphs, all playing out against the powerful backdrop of New York City, at once ever changing and profoundly, permanently itself. City of Dreams provides a vivid sense of what New York looked like, sounded like, smelled like, and felt like over the centuries of its development and maturation into the city we know today.
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Even as a history, not engaging
- By Patrick Kelly on 12-03-16
By: Tyler Anbinder
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Jacksonland
- President Andrew Jackson, Cherokee Chief John Ross, and a Great American Land Grab
- By: Steve Inskeep
- Narrated by: Steve Inskeep
- Length: 11 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Jacksonland is the thrilling narrative history of two men - President Andrew Jackson and Cherokee chief John Ross - who led their respective nations at a crossroads of American history. Five decades after the Revolutionary War, the United States approached a constitutional crisis. At its center stood two former military comrades locked in a struggle that tested the boundaries of our fledgling democracy. Jacksonland is their story.
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Fantastic and Thoughtful
- By Elizabeth Westbrook on 05-05-16
By: Steve Inskeep
What listeners say about The Strange Career of William Ellis
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- PeggysWorld
- 02-08-22
No idea about this interesting man.
The narrator is talented and kept me e gaged from the begging to the end. Interesting research.
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- Steven Schuster
- 06-10-16
Fascinating Tale of Racial Passing
I thoroughly enjoyed this true story of William Ellis. Ellis was a raconteur, part con man, sharp businessman, and adventurer..
Since Ellis had business interests in both Mexico and the U.S, the author gives a good background on the history of Mexico during this period, and Texas from it's Mexican origins to its becoming part of the U.S. The author has written several books on the border region so he is well versed on the subject. Having traveled to Mexico several times I share the author's love and fascination with Mexico.
.The author engaged in what appeared to be a lengthy postscript about the subject of racial passing, (light skinned Negroes passing as white) I found that chapter to be unnecessary, and cut it short for these reasons: - Ellis was born into a racist, and unjust system and found a way to bypass that system by posing as Hispanic, and white.(good for him) He suffered the consequences of losing his identity, but flourished as a successful businessman. He was also a bit of a rascal. The story stands on it's own, with it's rewards and consequences, so no modern postscript is necessary.-Frankly, I'm bored with lectures about race The story is what it is, so my suggestion is to skip the postscript.
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6 people found this helpful
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- Cliente de Amazon
- 01-26-21
Spanish pronunciation in an otherwise intriguing story
The story itself is great, but the author repeats the “passing” theme so many times that I was almost inclined to skip ahead. The choice of narrator was unfortunate since the book contains many Spanish names, phrases and words, which are often mispronounced, something that detracts from the listening experience, especially if you speak Spanish. Chapter 6 is the best part.
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- Silva
- 06-23-20
Great part of history
Black Lives Matter, 2020 Census, race is never going away. We live in the great melting pot and it is so hard to define your race, over the years we have seen changes in the questions on the Census and racial unrest. This book offers a great wealth of information, no just to African Americans but those who have Mexican ethnicity. Wow what an awesome book, I am so glad I got it.
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- Lynette Valdes
- 10-22-19
Really Interesting
The book not only narrates the life of William Ellis but also narrates the story of many who passed as white. Really interesting read highly recommend.
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- Randy
- 04-11-22
Not about subject
Extremely dry, I was expecting a story about his life, instead its about reconstruction politics. I had assumed that was setting the table, after 2/3 of the book, still no story of his life. Performance is great, bad material.
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