Birth of a White Nation: The Invention of White People and Its Relevance Today

Good history of the development of VA and MD statutes over the late 1600s showing the evolution of the White Race label after Bacon's Rebellion circa 1670 and the need to retain power. "English" was too narrow a label. "Christian" didn't work because non-Christians would convert. "Free-born" included the unwanted Natives and some African Americans. Over time, the lawmakers fell upon the "White" label. Interesting to learn that Irish were not included as "White" at first.

Thought provoking and we'll put together

Excellent theory about American history and how our current society was created. Extremely good research and presentation.

This is an excellent and necessary book. It underlines the importance of recognizing that race was created to guarantee money (and thus power) would fall into the hands of one group of people. It emphasizes that this has buttressed power in this group for generation after generation, which essentially throws into question claims of merit that this group has attempted. It shows how the myth of race allows the often unconscious belief of superiority which creates--and becomes--the internalized dominance of this group, thereby rendering the blindness which perpetuates the myth of meritocracy. Importantly, it asks what may happen to the oppressor who believes--whether conciously or not--this superiority exists: her chapter about lynching focuses on the oppressor as well as the victim. This integral part of this book asks one of the most important questions of all: what happens to the oppressor who is so disengaged from basic morality that watching a lynching becomes not only possible but also pleasurable (see the picture of the Reuben Stacy lynching which features a young girl watching with a smile on her face)? Battalora proposes not only that it is the responsibility of whites to negotiate their racism but also that, without this step, some basic moral foundation will be (if it hasn't been already) lost. Also important is the fact that it is relatively short, increasing the chances that a higher number of people will read it.

Reading this book was definitely an eye opener. I'm an avid student of history and the law. I appreciate this writer's candor, honesty and effort in putting this book together. This book carefully documents WHY black people are in the mess we are today. I find that whatever question we have about current events, history will provide the answer. The further back in history one goes the more of a connection you will find in everything. This book provides that connection. I never would have thought because the men outnumbered the women in the 1600's in the new colonies this created anguish amongst the white men. The White men who wanted to marry and start families because the white women were marrying Afrikan males. This was one of the many reasons to create the "White" moniker and oppress those who stood in the way of progress. From the explanation of Bacon's rebellion to the Treaty of Guadelupe Hidalgo this book delivers. Sometimes the legalese and the repetitiveness of points makes it a difficult read, but at 108 pages (minus the notes and references) this book is well worth it. Thank you Jaqueline Battalora for your honesty and effort in explaining how great injustices were created.

I am thankful for the effort put into this book. I appreciate the honesty of the author in researching and writing about a subject that has resulted in conclusions that on the surface seem to put her very identity in question. This book has helped me understand so much about my life. Much of what was written here has confirmed experiences I have had dealing with so called 'white' people and the experiences I have had as a 'black' person. I don't hold animosity toward 'white' people, in fact, my wife of almost twenty years is 'white'. I have always wondered why relations are the way they are between 'black' and 'white' people. It helps my understanding to view this from the social economic perspective as given in this work. Given the history before the race construct was given primacy, the labor class as a group did not possess a race based view; both 'black' and 'white' labors experienced life the same way and lived, worked, and played together with little so called racial animus. So it helps a lot to understand the intent of those who created the racial construct which is foundational to American culture. I look forward to learning more about this topic.

The author reveals what most people do not know, and that is the birth of the social caste system which codifies in law, policy, social custom, and value, the caste of white people being on top and privileged with all power, and those deemed black, or the lowest to be deemed to be on par with animals not deserving any rights or protections outlined in the Bible. If one wanted to expose the often invisible nature of white supremacy, then begin with this book. The impact of this creation of white people began with AMERICA, yet spread through the whole earth and still affects every continent on earth.

I really appreciated this book. I could never understand why human beings would ever react to one another in such a negative fashion. With other books I have read touching very lightly on the subject I had concluded that at some point for some reason a division was made. I had believed it to be most likely economics. This book gives a clear picture through enacted laws in the colonies and later the US and the reasons behind them. As a lover of history I know ancient writers many times were extremely vague about peoples appearance as it was generally irrelevant. Mentioning where a person was from was enough to get a picture of what they may look like but was merely put in as a part of the history and not indicative of any preconceived ideas about someone's character in most cases. ( enemies describe each other in a bad light since time immemorial). But I digress. Great book to help you to see people for what we are. All humans. I would have liked to have seen more on the deep social problems caused by the creation of races but a great book based on factual evidence none the less.

I have never been someone with a deep interest in history, but this book is one I now wish I had read long ago. I cannot believe I didnt know these things. It will change the way I live and think - or at least I hope I will follow through on the change I am inspired to.

Any person who is an US citizen, or resident who want to understand the origins of this system we live in, and some of the past and current manifestations of social, economic, and political disparities based on race, should read this book.

Good history of the development of VA and MD statutes over the late 1600s showing the evolution of the White Race label after Bacon's Rebellion circa 1670 and the need to retain power. "English" was too narrow a label. "Christian" didn't work because non-Christians would convert. "Free-born" included the unwanted Natives and some African Americans. Over time, the lawmakers fell upon the "White" label. Interesting to learn that Irish were not included as "White" at first.

Thought provoking and we'll put together

Excellent theory about American history and how our current society was created. Extremely good research and presentation.

This is an excellent and necessary book. It underlines the importance of recognizing that race was created to guarantee money (and thus power) would fall into the hands of one group of people. It emphasizes that this has buttressed power in this group for generation after generation, which essentially throws into question claims of merit that this group has attempted. It shows how the myth of race allows the often unconscious belief of superiority which creates--and becomes--the internalized dominance of this group, thereby rendering the blindness which perpetuates the myth of meritocracy. Importantly, it asks what may happen to the oppressor who believes--whether conciously or not--this superiority exists: her chapter about lynching focuses on the oppressor as well as the victim. This integral part of this book asks one of the most important questions of all: what happens to the oppressor who is so disengaged from basic morality that watching a lynching becomes not only possible but also pleasurable (see the picture of the Reuben Stacy lynching which features a young girl watching with a smile on her face)? Battalora proposes not only that it is the responsibility of whites to negotiate their racism but also that, without this step, some basic moral foundation will be (if it hasn't been already) lost. Also important is the fact that it is relatively short, increasing the chances that a higher number of people will read it.

Reading this book was definitely an eye opener. I'm an avid student of history and the law. I appreciate this writer's candor, honesty and effort in putting this book together. This book carefully documents WHY black people are in the mess we are today. I find that whatever question we have about current events, history will provide the answer. The further back in history one goes the more of a connection you will find in everything. This book provides that connection. I never would have thought because the men outnumbered the women in the 1600's in the new colonies this created anguish amongst the white men. The White men who wanted to marry and start families because the white women were marrying Afrikan males. This was one of the many reasons to create the "White" moniker and oppress those who stood in the way of progress. From the explanation of Bacon's rebellion to the Treaty of Guadelupe Hidalgo this book delivers. Sometimes the legalese and the repetitiveness of points makes it a difficult read, but at 108 pages (minus the notes and references) this book is well worth it. Thank you Jaqueline Battalora for your honesty and effort in explaining how great injustices were created.

I am thankful for the effort put into this book. I appreciate the honesty of the author in researching and writing about a subject that has resulted in conclusions that on the surface seem to put her very identity in question. This book has helped me understand so much about my life. Much of what was written here has confirmed experiences I have had dealing with so called 'white' people and the experiences I have had as a 'black' person. I don't hold animosity toward 'white' people, in fact, my wife of almost twenty years is 'white'. I have always wondered why relations are the way they are between 'black' and 'white' people. It helps my understanding to view this from the social economic perspective as given in this work. Given the history before the race construct was given primacy, the labor class as a group did not possess a race based view; both 'black' and 'white' labors experienced life the same way and lived, worked, and played together with little so called racial animus. So it helps a lot to understand the intent of those who created the racial construct which is foundational to American culture. I look forward to learning more about this topic.

The author reveals what most people do not know, and that is the birth of the social caste system which codifies in law, policy, social custom, and value, the caste of white people being on top and privileged with all power, and those deemed black, or the lowest to be deemed to be on par with animals not deserving any rights or protections outlined in the Bible. If one wanted to expose the often invisible nature of white supremacy, then begin with this book. The impact of this creation of white people began with AMERICA, yet spread through the whole earth and still affects every continent on earth.

I really appreciated this book. I could never understand why human beings would ever react to one another in such a negative fashion. With other books I have read touching very lightly on the subject I had concluded that at some point for some reason a division was made. I had believed it to be most likely economics. This book gives a clear picture through enacted laws in the colonies and later the US and the reasons behind them. As a lover of history I know ancient writers many times were extremely vague about peoples appearance as it was generally irrelevant. Mentioning where a person was from was enough to get a picture of what they may look like but was merely put in as a part of the history and not indicative of any preconceived ideas about someone's character in most cases. ( enemies describe each other in a bad light since time immemorial). But I digress. Great book to help you to see people for what we are. All humans. I would have liked to have seen more on the deep social problems caused by the creation of races but a great book based on factual evidence none the less.

I have never been someone with a deep interest in history, but this book is one I now wish I had read long ago. I cannot believe I didnt know these things. It will change the way I live and think - or at least I hope I will follow through on the change I am inspired to.

Any person who is an US citizen, or resident who want to understand the origins of this system we live in, and some of the past and current manifestations of social, economic, and political disparities based on race, should read this book.

You do not want to miss out on reading this book. Enlightening and informative, this book will change your entire view about race in America. We have been fooled and exploited by people in power for too long. Race is a social construct designed to benefit the 1% and to degrade levels of "others."

Battalora has assembled rich details of the origins of the concepts of race as defined predominantly by skin color, of white being the skin color (and race) of people derived originally from Northern Europe, and of masculinity as the fount of power and wisdom. She exposes these scientific myths as socio-economic lies designed historically to perpetuate profit and power for emerging elites favored by those already in power and the few others with enough gifts and greed to gain attention and encouragement from the elites. The sad truth is: These lies have profound remaining influence in U.S. culture today. She structures the book with a thoughtful, provocative series of questions at the end of each chapter, significantly enhancing its practical usefulness as an educational tool for classrooms or adult group settings. As a retired anti-racism training co-facilitator who sought to explain the white privilege that I share, I wish I'd had this book available then.

The book was great

I think this book should be required reading for everyone in a position if leadership, whether in government, our school, our social service agencies, or our churches. Although the author’s style of writing is difficult to follow at times, the overall historical overview is clear and disturbing. If we are to understand the forces at work in our country today, we must understand the forces that shaped us.

This is a must read if you want to understand the racial root of the current political, economic and class structure present in the United States. This book makes sense of the madness.

Dr. Battalora has managed to craft both a well researched and accessible volume on an important topic. This entry dispells many myths about the nature of the concept of race and demonstrates with strong evidence how the concept was not only socially constructed but employed as a tool of class control. An excellent read for those interested in understanding the modern issues surrounding race and racism in the United States.

Profound and scholarly, this clearly sets the back story of how we got into this awful mess of racism with a glimmer of hope for the future. If we made a wreck of human relations on a grand scale, surely we can find a way out of it.

I was compelled to read this book after the 2016 US elections, and after someone recommended it. This is the book and education we didn't get in school growing up, but should have. I found it to be very eye-opening. I thought I was relatively well- versed in understanding race relations in the US, but this peeled back a whole other layer that I never understood. ALL Americans should read this, regardless of race or ethnic background.

Excellent, I have been actively engaged in "We The People" for 6 years with the understanding of where it needs to go but lacking the knowledge to point it in the direction this book with so much authority explained for us as a people to go forward.

I thank God for sending His Spirit to touch the hearts of middle class white Americans. Bacon's Rebellion describes your TRUE STATUS In America. Wake up, before it's too late. Book of Revelations, Babylon will be destroyed. Excellent read and highly recommended.

Very eye opening. Wakes you up to the implicit bias that we all have due to laws and policies since before the founding of the U.S.

This is the true history of this nation's beginnings. The nonsensical lies we were taught in school are a disgraceful criminal act that needs to be arrested and rectified. The truth will make us all free.

Powerful, mind blowing, extremely well-written book. Excellent researched material. If you want to break free from the matrix and get a true inner-standing of this con game called racism...read this book.

Great book

Jacqueline Battalora's book is a succinct, easy to read, overview of the historical, legal, and social foundations of white privilege, racism, and class warfare in the United States today. In her well articulated thesis it is apparent how the struggling middle working classes in this country have become the instruments of their own oppression. To solve the economic inequalities, we must accept the existence of and then eliminate the privileges used to divide and conquer laboring Americans.

The author Jacqueline Battalora does an excellent job of answering that question and explaining the origins of the term white people, on the middle of page52 "Congress in 1790 determined that in order to become a naturalized citizen, one had to be white (Act of March 26, 1790,ch.3, Stat.103). I should hope you would buy this book and see how much more this author has to say about the term white people.

Jacqueline Battarola’s book, “Birth Of A Nation: The Invention Of White People And It’s Relevance Today”, is a historical analysis of racism that was more of an education for me than with other books on the topics I’ve read. It is not as pointed as some other authors have published because it’s focus is less about placing guilt and more about a survey of judicial linguistics, laws, and how whites have skillfully crafted their way into a superior social standing through careful terminology. While she discusses Mexican and Irish immigrants in the 19th Century, her emphasis is on African Americans. Her premise, through years of scholarly research, is that the term “white people” is a colonial North American phenomenon in origin. Prior to the late 17th Century, descriptions that people used had far less to do about race and color than they do today, if at all. In fact, her research finds that the term “white”, as a designation for human beings, never had any legal or even personal standing prior to 1681 in colonial North America, until there rose a growing explicit need to create separation between colors, class, and humanity. This terminology, therefore, became a sacred element in our social structure for the preservation of “white” superiority. It would be very easy to argue that these terms have little to no impact since centuries have passed. However, this simple but proudly influential label became the basis and foundational principle for our country’s social and legal structures that has persisted for hundreds of years. If this were not true, we would never have Supreme Court rulings that set decades of precedents, such as Dred Scott and more importantly, Plessy vs. Ferguson. Both rulings laid the groundwork for Jim Crow. But this begs the question: Why was the term “white” so important? In brief, local governments in Virginia and Maryland, because of the well organized social cohesiveness of various classes and races in Bacon’s Rebellion, were concerned that another uprising would occur that would band together financially lower class people. Through weeks of deliberation, lawmakers believed the best way to segregate each group would be by the color of their skin. Not class. Not religion. Not nationality. And not ethnicity. As a result, racial privilege was born and it spawned six major social and legal byproducts: 1). It separated classes of labor. 2). It separated the privileged from the unprivileged. 3). It prevented interracial marriages, 4). It introduced the “purity” of white women. 5). It institutionalized racism and 6). Humanity became an institutionalized hierarchy. While all the above are monstrous, the one variable that is underestimated is that through making interracial marriages and relationships illegal, it idolized white women because the law was almost entirely enforced only between black men (who were regularly demonized as they are today) and white women. On the other hand, the judicial system turned a blind eye for white men who continued to rape black female slaves to produce more help on the plantation. White women became sacred, which created a secondary precedent that set the stage for countless lynchings and inequitable mass incarceration that is still occurring today. Finally, there is a subtle but very peculiar aspect to the invention of the term “white”. It is very interesting to me how the white community holds so dearly their historical pride in their “whiteness” while in the same breath do everything in their power to undermine the pain and death that label has inflicted on others for centuries. It isn’t just a word. It’s become an ideology, it’s a worldview, and because of its inherent racist history and origins, it’s been weaponized to destroy the lives of millions of people, both culturally and physically. There should be NO pride in that. This book is not intended to demoralize anyone. However, I can’t imagine reading it and not feeling a reality check or a prick of conscience. If you have the chance to read this, it would do anyone a great service.

This is not an easy read, but well worth the effort. The views are well-documented and the author takes great care to develop her opinions and back them with documented facts and history. None of the ideas are new ones, but I have never made the connection or been exposed to the linear progression made by Ms Battalora even though I have an advanced degree.0⃣9⃣

This book is excellent and a must read for all who truly want to understand scio-politics to day when it applies to immigration and race.

I was truly blown away by the deeply researched information that Jacqueline Battalora shared in her book, Birth of a White Nation. This is a book that you will not be able to put down and you will will be forever changed when you read it! Knowledge is truly power!

This is a very interesting subject and the author has done a lot of research......unfortunately for me.....this is a difficult read.

A very well written examination of the invention of "white people" in American and by extension the world. For serious individuals struggling to understand the insanity of racism/classism, I whole heartedly recommend this for yourself and for all high school curriculums. It would be also worthy of broader distribution ala television on the major stations but we know that won't happen.

This book helped clarify a lot of things for me. It explains the first chapter of race in the US, and explains it very well. The author supports her argument very clearly, very solidly. I really appreciate this book, as a US citizen of European descent, it is vastly important for me to know how I came to be included in the group called "white."

An excellent, concise and thoughtfully done work. It clearly illustrates what it means to say that race is a social construct - a social fabrication. I highly recommend this book as a resource for all who are interested in understanding the origin of white identity and its continuing role, today.

An enlightening history of racism in America and how "the white race" came to be.

Great quick read with all the legal structures that established the "white race".

A masterpiece, to be used by me in my teaching of truth. Dr. Battalora is my shero.

Excellent history. As a lawyer I was intrigued by the early laws promoting racism that are imbedded in the culture today.

An in-depth timely, well researched account of untold and untaught American history that should have been at the forefront of history in this country.

Excellent read. I have recommended it to numerous people. Why were we not told this in school? This is important information for anyone involved justice advocacy, immigration advocacy, or racial justice advocacy.

Must read..

Jacqueline Battalora absolutely is a game changer.

Very helpful for constipation. Will buy again!!

THIS IS AN AMAZING BOOK ON TRUTH!

A quick read with merit.

The world is all messed up because of some decisions made for us in the 1600's by a couple of people. Read this to learn.

please except star rating

This purchase arrived in a timely manner. "It is through commonality that community is formed."

poorly organized and written . obviously the author has never lived in a country where she was a minority. She loves what these days are called 'word blends' but are essentially attempts to make you 'seem' smarter . This is typical of Lawyers and sociologists. The shear number of words with more that 15 letters in any given paragraph is astounding. I guess if you can't amaze them with brilliance blind them with BS. needs an editor

Eye opening.

GREAT BOOK.

Great Read.

excellent and thought provoking reading.

"Edinburg" is not a place, in Scotland. It's *Edinburgh.* It doesn't rhyme with Ice Berg, it's more like a burrow. Egads. Though to be fair, this typo was NOT written by the author. Everything else I have read and seen by her is amazingly elucidating THANK YOU VERY MUCH I will buy this book when I can.

Haven’t read the book yet but it arrived damaged, with spine bent almost in half!

While I am grateful for this work published for a broad audience and highly recommend its reading, I cannot help wishing a scholarly iteration of this had been submitted for peer review and so enlivened, disrupted an academic research community that loves comfort to much to be effective. There are dozens of men and women aware of the facts as stated, and it's telling that Dr. Battalora ended up as one of the few making this knowledge accessible to a broader public.

This is a deliberate propaganda piece designed to misdirect people away from the ACTUAL history contained in the book: The Invention of the White Race by Theodore Allen. The author piggybacks on the totally unproven thesis promulgated by the late Francis Cress Welsing (a member of the Black Boule) who tried to equate racism with sexuality. It's obvious the publishers wish to prevent the general public from realizing that racial laws and "white people" were created after Bacon's Rebellion. An uprising where Africans, Irish and Scots joined together to overthrow the wealthy class. There has been an ongoing effort for at least the past fifty years by the rich to mislead the general public concerning the cause of the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Civil War and the creation of racism as a social weapon. But don't take my word for it. Simply BUY BOTH BOOKS: This one and THE INVENTION OF THE WHITE RACE by Theodore Allen.

It's just a piece of propaganda by a privileged white person desiring to capitalize on the current anti-white sentiment in the popular culture by positioning herself as a self-loathing white "ally". We need to stop this destructive and hateful rewriting of history. It's helping no one, especially non-whites

Enlightening

Excellent book that explains from both a historical and legal perspective how the white race has been constructed. A book that will change your life .

I was contacted by a PhD and told this book was a must read. I have yet to finish it. It is the most interesting and at the same time, confusing book I have ever read.

This book is the epitome of racist. People should be judged on who they are, not what they are. The author should be ashamed of herself.