Edited By Alex Knapp and Michael Noer, Forbes Staff
Reported by Jessica Jacolbe
braham Lincoln once wrote to a young man who asked him for advice to "always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing."
That sentiment is at the heart of an American principle that Honest Abe himself embodied: that unlike in the Old World, in the United States, anyone can rise to the top. So in honor of the nation's 250th anniversary, we present to you the 250 Greatest Historic Self-Made Americans-men and women who rose from slavery, poverty, abuse to achieve fame, fortune and impact. (Our ranking of the 250 Greatest Living Self-Made Americans is available here.)
To identify these hustlers and strivers, we dug into Forbes' century-plus-old archives, looking for classic tales of entrepreneurial capitalists. Then we queried Gemini and ChatGPT for ideas. We also polled the historical societies of all 50 states, because although we emphasized notable businessmen and industrialists, we also included influential scientists, artists and athletes.
Next, we ran those names past the experts: Louis Hyman, a professor of political economy in history at Johns...
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