Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America (National Book Award Winner)

Americans like to insist that we are living in a postracial, color-blind society. In fact, racist thought is alive and well; it has simply become more sophisticated and more insidious. And as historian Ibram X. Kendi argues, racist ideas in this country have a long and lingering history, one in which nearly every great American thinker is complicit. Kendi chronicles the entire story of anti-Black racist ideas and their staggering power over the course of American history. Stamped from the Beginning uses the lives of five major American intellectuals to offer a window into the contentious debates between assimilationists and segregationists and between racists and antiracists. From Puritan minister Cotton Mather to Thomas Jefferson, from fiery abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison to brilliant scholar W.E.B. Du Bois to legendary anti-prison activist Angela Davis, Kendi shows how and why some of our leading proslavery and pro-civil rights thinkers have challenged or helped cement racist ideas in America. As Kendi provocatively illustrates, racist thinking did not arise from ignorance or hatred. Racist ideas were created and popularized in an effort to defend deeply entrenched discriminatory policies and to rationalize the nation's racial inequities in everything from wealth to health. While racist ideas are easily produced and easily consumed, they can also be discredited--From publisher's website.;Preface to the paperback edition -- Prologue -- Cotton Mather. Human hierarchy -- Origins of racist ideas -- Coming to America -- Saving souls, not bodies -- Black hunts -- Great awakening -- Thomas Jefferson. Enlightenment -- Black exhibits -- Created equal -- Uplift suasion -- Big bottoms -- Colonization -- William Lloyd Garrison. Gradual equality -- Imbruted or civilized -- Soul -- The impending crisis -- History's emancipator -- Ready for freedom? -- Reconstructing slavery -- Reconstructing blame -- W.E.B. Du Bois. Renewing the south -- Southern horrors -- Black Judases -- Great white hopes -- The birth of a nation -- Media suasion -- Old deal -- Freedom brand -- Massive resistance -- Angela Davis. The act of civil rights -- Black power -- Law and order -- Reagan's drugs -- New Democrats -- New Republicans -- 99.9 percent the same -- The extraordinary Negro -- Epilogue. Americans Like To Insist That We Are Living In A Postracial, Color-blind Society. In Fact, Racist Thought Is Alive And Well; It Has Simply Become More Sophisticated And More Insidious. And As Historian Ibram X. Kendi Argues, Racist Ideas In This Country Have A Long And Lingering History, One In Which Nearly Every Great American Thinker Is Complicit. Kendi Chronicles The Entire Story Of Anti-black Racist Ideas And Their Staggering Power Over The Course Of American History. Stamped From The Beginning Uses The Lives Of Five Major American Intellectuals To Offer A Window Into The Contentious Debates Between Assimilationists And Segregationists And Between Racists And Antiracists. From Puritan Minister Cotton Mather To Thomas Jefferson, From Fiery Abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison To Brilliant Scholar W.e.b. Du Bois To Legendary Anti-prison Activist Angela Davis, Kendi Shows How And Why Some Of Our Leading Proslavery And Pro-civil Rights Thinkers Have Challenged Or Helped Cement Racist Ideas In America. As Kendi Provocatively Illustrates, Racist Thinking Did Not Arise From Ignorance Or Hatred. Racist Ideas Were Created And Popularized In An Effort To Defend Deeply Entrenched Discriminatory Policies And To Rationalize The Nation's Racial Inequities In Everything From Wealth To Health. While Racist Ideas Are Easily Produced And Easily Consumed, They Can Also Be Discredited--from Publisher's Website. Cotton Mather. Human Hierarchy -- Origins Of Racist Ideas -- Coming To America -- Saving Souls, Not Bodies -- Black Hunts -- Great Awakening -- Thomas Jefferson. Enlightenment -- Black Exhibits -- Created Equal -- Uplift Suasion -- Big Bottoms -- Colonization -- William Lloyd Garrison. Gradual Equality -- Imbruted Or Civilized -- Soul -- The Impending Crisis -- History's Emancipator -- Ready For Freedom? -- Reconstructing Slavery -- Reconstructing Blame -- W.e.b. Du Bois. Renewing The South -- Southern Horrors -- Black Judases -- Great White Hopes -- The Birth Of A Nation -- Media Suasion -- Old Deal -- Freedom Brand -- Massive Resistance -- Angela Davis. The Act Of Civil Rights -- Black Power -- Law And Order -- Reagan's Drugs -- New Democrats -- New Republicans -- 99.9 Percent The Same -- The Extraordinary Negro. Ibram X. Kendi. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 516-561) And Index. National Book Award For Nonfiction, 2016 Some Americans Cling Desperately To The Myth That We Are Living In A Post-racial Society, That The Election Of The First Black President Spelled The Doom Of Racism. In Fact, Racist Thought Is Alive And Well In America--more Sophisticated And More Insidious Than Ever. And As Award-winning Historian Ibram X. Kendi Argues In Stamped From The Beginning, If We Have Any Hope Of Grappling With This Stark Reality, We Must First Understand How Racist Ideas Were Developed, Disseminated, And Enshrined In American Society. In This Deeply Researched And Fast-moving Narrative, Kendi Chronicles The Entire Story Of Anti-black Racist Ideas And Their Staggering Power Over The Course Of American History. Stamped From The Beginning Uses The Life Stories Of Five Major American Intellectuals To Offer A Window Into The Contentious Debates Between Assimilationists And Segregationists And Between Racists And Antiracists. From Puritan Minister Cotton Mather To Thomas Jefferson, From Fiery Abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison To Brilliant Scholar W.e.b. Du Bois To Legendary Anti-prison Activist Angela Davis, Kendi Shows How And Why Some Of Our Leading Pro-slavery And Pro-civil Rights Thinkers Have Challenged Or Helped Cement Racist Ideas In America. Contrary To Popular Conceptions, Racist Ideas Did Not Arise From Ignorance Or Hatred. Instead, They Were Devised And Honed By Some Of The Most Brilliant Minds Of Each Era. These Intellectuals Used Their Brilliance To Justify And Rationalize Deeply Entrenched Discriminatory Policies And The Nation's Racial Disparities In Everything From Wealth To Health. And While Racist Ideas Are Easily Produced And Easily Consumed, They Can Also Be Discredited. In Shedding Much-needed Light On The Murky History Of Racist Ideas, Stamped From The Beginning Offers Us The Tools We Need To Expose Them--and In The Process, Gives Us Reason To Hope. "Americans like to insist that we are living in a postracial, color-blind society. In fact, racist thought is alive and well; it has simply become more sophisticated and more insidious. And as award-winning historian Ibram X. Kendi argues in Stamped from the Beginning, racist ideas in this country have a long and lingering history, one in which nearly every great American thinker is complicit. In this deeply researched and fast-moving narrative, Kendi chronicles the entire story of anti-Black racist ideas and their staggering power over the course of American history. Stamped from the Beginning uses the lives of five major American intellectuals to offer a window into the contentious debates between assimilationists and segregationists and between racists and antiracists. From Puritan minister Cotton Mather to Thomas Jefferson, from fiery abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison to brilliant scholar W.E.B. Du Bois to legendary anti-prison activist Angela Davis, Kendi shows how and why some of our leading proslavery and pro-civil rights thinkers have challenged or helped cement racist ideas in America. As Kendi provocatively illustrates, racist thinking did not arise from ignorance or hatred. Racist ideas were created and popularized in an effort to defend deeply entrenched discriminatory policies and to rationalize the nation's racial inequities in everything from wealth to health. While racist ideas are easily produced and easily consumed, they can also be discredited. In shedding much-needed light on the murky history of racist ideas, Stamped from the Beginning offers us the tools we need to expose them--and in the process, gives us reason to hope."--Publisher's description Americans like to insist that we are living in a postracial, color-blind society. In fact, racist thought is alive and well; it has simply become more sophisticated and more insidious. And as award-winning historian Ibram X. Kendi argues in Stamped from the Beginning , racist ideas in this country have a long and lingering history, one in which nearly every great American thinker is complicit. In this deeply researched and fast-moving narrative, Kendi chronicles the entire story of anti?Black racist ideas and their staggering power over the course of American history. Stamped from the Beginning uses the lives of five major American intellectuals to offer a window into the contentious debates between assimilationists and segregationists and between racists and antiracists. From Puritan minister Cotton Mather to Thomas Jefferson, from fiery abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison to brilliant scholar W. E. B. Du Bois to legendary anti?prison activist Angela Davis, Kendi shows how and why some of our leading proslavery and pro?civil rights thinkers have challenged or helped cement racist ideas in America. As Kendi provocatively illustrates, racist thinking did not arise from ignorance or hatred. Racist ideas were created and popularized in an effort to defend deeply entrenched discriminatory policies and to rationalize the nation's racial inequities in everything from wealth to health. While racist ideas are easily produced and easily consumed, they can also be discredited. In shedding much?needed light on the murky history of racist ideas, Stamped from the Beginning offers us the tools we need to expose them?and in the process, gives us reason to hope The National Book Award winning history of how racist ideas were created, spread, and deeply rooted in American society. Some Americans insist that we're living in a post-racial society. But racist thought is not just alive and well in America — it is more sophisticated and more insidious than ever. And as award-winning historian Ibram X. Kendi argues, racist ideas have a long and lingering history, one in which nearly every great American thinker is complicit. In this deeply researched and fast-moving narrative, Kendi chronicles the entire story of anti-black racist ideas and their staggering power over the course of American history. He uses the life stories of five major American intellectuals to drive this history: Puritan minister Cotton Mather, Thomas Jefferson, abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison, W.E.B. Du Bois, and legendary activist Angela Davis. As Kendi shows, racist ideas did not arise from ignorance or hatred. They were created to justify and rationalize deeply entrenched discriminatory policies and the nation's racial inequities. In shedding light on this history, Stamped from the Beginning offers us the tools we need to expose racist thinking. In the process, he gives us reason to hope. Young black men are 21 times more likely to be killed by police than their white counterparts. The unemployment rate for African Americans has been double that of whites for more than half a century. And yet Americans cling desperately to the myth that we are living in a post-racial society, that the election of the first black president spelled doom for racist policies and racist beliefs. In fact, racist thought is alive and well in America; it has simply become more sophisticated and more insidious. And as award-winning historian Ibram X. Kendi argues in Stamped from the Beginning , if we have any hope of grappling with this stark reality, we must first understand how racist ideas were developed, disseminated, and enshrined in American society. In this deeply researched, provocative narrative, Kendi offers a comprehensive history of anti-Black racist ideas— their origins in fifteenth-century Portugal, their arrival in England in the mid-sixteenth century, and... "A comprehensive history of anti-black racism focuses on the lives of five major players in American history, including Cotton Mather and Thomas Jefferson, and highlights the debates that took place between assimilationists and segregationists and between racists and antiracists"-- NoveList