History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

National Identity (Ethnonationalism in Comparative Perspective)

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A compact, but still heavy work
Erudite, biased, dreary
best account of modern nationalism from Smith
It is one of the best books about national identity

National Identity (Ethnonationalism in Comparative Perspective)
Anthony D. Smith
Manufacturer: University of Nevada Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0874172047

Customer Reviews:

A compact, but still heavy work.......2007-08-24

The author has spent much of his academic career exploring the roots and issues involved with nationalism and its philosophical core "national identity". While the work is under 200 pages, it is by no means light reading. It is clearly aimed at the colligate level as a foundational text.

The book is intellectually filling, but the author makes you earn it. The sweeping historical references and numerous analogies hit the mark, but require a good deal of background knowledge.

The author correctly goes beyond the standard Western/European view of nationalism and uses the national identity model to include most of the globe, though his theories start to run a little thin the further one gets from the intellectual reach of the West. The work was published in 1991 and its theories proved correct as ethnic and cultural factors fueled conflict throughout the decade from Bosnia to Rwanda.

Erudite, biased, dreary.......2007-07-11

First let me give credit where credit is due; Smith is clearly a top-rate scholar and his knowledge of the subject matter is uncontested. That being said, I found this book to be incredibly dry and somewhat biased. Smith writes in an extremely methodical and academic style that makes for some tough reading. And while he doesn't show outright hostility towards his subject, he makes it clear that he sees nationalism as something of a hindrance to "human progress."

Smith painstakingly scrutinizes the origins, characteristics, and consequences of national identity and it's political manifestation, nationalism. He describes the importance of ethnicity, culture, and common myths and symbols to the nationalist state and also discusses the impact that nationalist ideologies have had on regional and world affairs. He compares this phenemenon to other forms of collective identity and comes to the conclusion that national identity exerts a "more potent and durable influence than any other collective identity" and will continue to do so well into the future. He also discusses possible alternatives to nationalism.

While his descriptions are certainly not wrong, I think the nationalism that Smith describes is an extreme one. As someone who considers himself a nationalist, I certainly don't believe I am part of a "chosen people" and I don't look back to any "golden age." As with any ideology or movement, there are varying degrees of nationalism and Smith really only describes a "fundamentalist" version. Those caveats aside, this is a solid, scholarly work that serves as a valuable introduction to nationalism and natioanl identity.

best account of modern nationalism from Smith.......2000-10-10

This book contains many ideas propogated by Anthony Smith in many of his other books (i.e., _State and Nation in the Third World_, _The Ethnic Origin of Nations_, _Nations and Nationalism in a Global Era_) but combines them into one short volume.

Smith first focuses on the ethnic past of nations while also pointing out the differences between ethnic groups and modern nations. He moves through a short history of ethnic groups and nations, asking the important question of whether ancient Egypt, Israel and Greece were ethnic nations before examining the medieval cases of England and France. In all cases he puts emphasis on the importance of the homeland, a concept which can hardly be overemphasized in dealing with national identity.

He then moves to a typology of nationalism, claiming that 'nationalism-in-general is merely a lazy historian's escape'. He examines the oft-neglected cultural aspect of nationalism, one that was at its height in nineteenth-century Europe but which has been replaced in the news today by genocide and ethnic cleansing.

Moving on to the impact of colonialism, imperialism and decolonization on the development of national identity, Smith spends a good amount of time on non-European nations like Egypt, Ethiopia and India. He shows again how difficult it is to generalize about nationalism, especially outside Europe.

Finally, Smith looks to the future, asking the inevitable question of whether nations and national identity are doomed. He argues that any attempt to supersede national identity, e.g. the creation of a European identity around the EU, must inevitably draw in so many aspects of national identity that it is merely another form of national identity. Smith claims that, just as national identity has been with us for quite some time, it will remain for a while as well.

A well-argued and concise book.

It is one of the best books about national identity.......1998-11-13

I liked. Smith writes not only definitions on traditional concepts (like nationalism) but also introduces an interesting analysis about ethnonationalism. I do not agree in some coments (like his concept of "lateral ethnic communities"), but it is still a good book. Roberto Remes

Nation-building in the Post-Soviet Borderlands: The Politics of National Identities

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Nation-building in the Post-Soviet Borderlands: The Politics of National Identities
Graham Smith , Vivien Law , Andrew Wilson , Annette Bohr , and Edward Allworth
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0521590450

Book Description

The emergence in 1991 of the fourteen borderland post-Soviet states has been accompanied by the reforging of their national identities. Such attempts to rethink or reimagine the nation have had a major impact in reshaping the political, cultural and social lives of both national and ethnic minority groups alike. This book analyzes these national identities and explores their consequences for the borderland states, with substantive studies drawn from the Baltic states, Ukraine and Belarus, Transcaucasia and Central Asia.

Becoming True to Ourselves: Cultural Decolonization and National Identity in the Literature of the Portuguese-Speaking World (Contributions to the Study of World Literature)

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Becoming True to Ourselves: Cultural Decolonization and National Identity in the Literature of the Portuguese-Speaking World (Contributions to the Study of World Literature)
Maria Luisa Nunes
Manufacturer: Greenwood Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Portuguese | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

Becoming True to Ourselves is a penetrating exploration of literary strategies of decolonization in the Portuguese-speaking world. Divided into three parts, the analysis centers on an examination of the Portuguese, Brazilian, and African colonial experiences as viewed through the eyes of native contemporary writers over a 100-year span. This examination enables the author to uncover the fundamental relationship between cultural decolonization and national identity and reveals an unusually vital literary tradition that both reinforces and helps impel these nation's drives toward cultural, political, and economic independence.

James Monroe: The Quest for National Identity

Average customer rating:

Very readable and well researched biography
Minor President only by comparison to his predecessors
a better than average presidential biography
Excellent Review of Monroe's Career
A Solid Biography of a Hard Working Man

James Monroe: The Quest for National Identity
Harry Ammon
Manufacturer: University of Virginia Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0813912660

Customer Reviews:

Very readable and well researched biography.......2007-08-17

I am presently reading a biography of every U.S. President in order. From browsing the reviews of Monroe biographies, Ammon became the obvious choice. I can gladly say that I was not disappointed. Ammon's biography of Monroe is comprehsive, well written, and superbly researched. Ammon's writing style is refreshingly easy to read and the information is very well organized. Monroe emerges as a very important President and, while not as brilliant intellectually as his two predecessors, certainly well suited to be chief executive and arguably the most important influence on American foreign policy until Theodore Roosevelt.

My criticism of Mr. Ammon's volume is that, despite adeptly describing the political life of Monroe and its importance to American history, the biography never succeeds at leading the reader to understand Monroe on a personal level. Perhaps this task is not possible given the research available, but this is the first presidential biography that I have finished feeling that I did not have an adequate understanding of the personality traits behind the subject's actions.

Minor President only by comparison to his predecessors.......2006-11-01

This highly readable book focuses on the foreign policy elements of Monroe's career almost to the point that it is more of a book on diplomacy than a general biography. The portions that detail his partnership with his Secretary of State John Quincy Adams, especially the genesis of the Monroe Doctrine, are where it is at it's best. Unfortunately it gives short shrift to his relationship and feelings to his own slaves, even while giving a very good account of his activities around the Missouri Compromise.

a better than average presidential biography.......2006-05-21

James Monroe by Ammon
Over the last several years, I've read biographies of the first 40 presidents. I've usually used Amazon readers to guide my selections. At the end of this review is a rating of these biographies.

James Monroe was the last of the founding fathers to be president and he is one of most underrated statesmen and presidents. During the Revolutionary War he served with George Washington. Later he was minister to France and Secretary of State. Aside from Washington he is the only president to run for a second term without opposition. He was an excellent diplomat. His cabinet included John Quincy Adams and John C. Calhoun , and it can be argued this was the most effective cabinet and administration of the 19th century. Monroe is closely linked with fellow Virginians, Madison and Jefferson, and while he does not rank as a genius or philosopher with this pair, he was probably a better leader than either. Monroe's political style was to solve problems, be diplomatic, and develop consensus. Ammon's accounts of 12 hour cabinet meetings demonstrate this style of governance. Monroe also believed in a limited presidency . He consistently chose to respect the separation of powers, and at times limited his effectiveness out of respect for the Constitution.

Ammon's biography is better than serviceable. It shines during Monroe's early years and his presidency. The book often drags during the middle third. My sense is this is because Monroe was more of a peripheral figure during these years, and this biography tends towards a tangential sense of history during this section.

Bonus - You can see my reviews (SMR) for many of the following books, but here's a capsule summary
The BEST
Franklin Roosevelt - Conrad Black - captures so many facets of a great leader weaving his way through constant challenges, completely engaging writing; SEE MY REVIEW
Teddy Roosevelt - Edmund Morris - the best writing hands down of a presidential biography - Teddy himself was so much fun that its hard to miss with this subject
John Kennedy - Robert Dallek - detailed, balanced biography of a complex man, SMR
Lyndon Johnson - Robert Dallek - volume one is as good as Morris' Teddy Roosevelt in terms of story- telling and describing the complexity of an absolutely driven man. Volume 2 deals with LBJ's presidential years and the morass of Viet Nam - its well written but like the war itself, it goes on and on from one disappointment to the next. SMR
John Adams - David McCullough - great writing, perhaps a bit too favorable to Adams, but this is the book that got many readers to take a first or second look at our founding fathers
Warren Harding - Francis Russell - absolutely the best biography of a unqualified president - captures Harding's sexual scandals as well as the smoked filled rooms and corruption of the times and Harding's administration, SMR
Chester Arthur - Thomas Reeves - a great biography of an very corrupt politician and an incredible job of detailing the spoils system and New York politics, SMR
The SECOND TIER
Harry Truman - David McCullough - McCullough is always engaging, but it seems to me that he places Truman a little too high on the pedestal
Abraham Lincoln - David Donald - the authoritative biography of Lincoln, I felt like crying at the end
Jimmy Carter - Peter |Bourne - a good history of the time and an unflinching, thorough analysis of Carter Written by a Carter insider, but not afraid to criticize. SMR
Franklin Pierce - Roy Nichols - a well written description of a man who was simply in over his head, SMR
Martin Van Buren - John Niven - paints a pretty likeable picture of a man who many despised and distrusted, sifts through a great deal of detail about New York politics, and the Jackson and Van Buren administrations - subtly introduces the idea that most of Jackson's successful policies came from Van Buren
Grover Cleveland - Alyn Brodsky - a better than average biography, very well organized and readable, soft pedals Cleveland's personal indiscretions SMR
James Buchanan - Philip Klein - Buchanan schemed to become president for 30 years - Klein's biography gives a great overview of years of US politics and of Buchanan's scheming sort of politics, SMR
James Monroe by Harry Ammon
Thomas Jefferson and the New Nation - Merrill Peterson - a very thorough description of Jefferson and his times - much more emphasis on his politics and other works than his personal life, SMR
Andrew Jackson - Robert Remini - this is perhaps unfairly low - I read the one volume abridgement, and would have preferred the detail of three volumes
Gerald Ford - James Reeves - brisk writing and the best retelling of Watergate. A thorough description of Ford's developmental years and career prior to becoming president, but his presidential years are given less than 30 pages. SMR
John Quincy Adams - Paul Nagel - uncovers Adams' personality and depression in a very sympathetic way but covers Adams' failed presidency with only a single chapter.
Andrew Johnson by Hans Trefousse - a very good biography of a very complicated guy during the US`s darkest years - at times I had trouble keeping the many Reconstruction era politicians straight
Rutherford Hayes - Ari Hoogenboom - a good biography including Hayes' war years, rise to the presidency, and his years in office. Although the election crisis of 1876 is presented in detail, Hoogenboom tries a bit too hard to give Hayes a free pass. SMR
Ike Eisenhower - Geoffrey Perret - a workmanlike complete biography
Ulysses S. Grant - Feeley - a great biography of Grant as a general, but it really falls down (as did Grant) during the presidential years
Millard Fillmore - Robert Rayback - a good biography of a forgotten president who actually had some success in forestalling the Civil War
Ronald Reagan - Edmund Morris - the weirdest "major" presidential biography - the fictional and real narrative are confusing. Although Morris captures Reagan, so much time is taken up with childhood, adolescence, and acting that important parts of the presidency are glossed over. SMR
George Washington - Douglas Southall Freeman - I read the one volume abridgement of his seven volume monster. Freeman tells a great story, but he probably admires Washington too much.
NOT QUITE GOOD ENOUGH
Ulysses Grant - McFeely - This is a great biography of Grant's early life and Civil Wars years, but Feely seems about as disconnected from the eight years of Grant's presidency as Grant was.
James Garfield - Allan Peskin - Garfield could be a caricature of a post Civil War president - log cabins, Civil War general (not much of one), Ohio, Republican, and weak - Peskin writes too much about Ohio politics and not enough about the corruption of the times
Herbert Hoover - David Burner - A pretty boring read about a fascinating character during a fascinating time
Woodrow Wilson - August Heckscher - Wilson was a very complex guy. This book captures Wilson and his times but it is a pretty dry read
James Madison - Ralph Ketchum - just too dry - SMR
Calvin Coolidge - Robert Sobel - this never really grabbed me but it is written in an engaging style
William Henry Harrison - Freeman Cleeves - This biography is more than 50 years old. The narrative is engaging and Harrison had an interesting life; BUT, Harrison gets pretty much a free pass for his relationship with the many tribes who he evicted from the Northwest Territories. See the recent biography of William Clark for an more revealing telling of this aspect of Harrison's life.
VYING FOR THE WORST
Zachary Taylor - Jack Bauer - Taylor was an egotistical, quarrelsome, and paranoid guy who became president after winning several important battles during the Mexican War. Bauer does a workmanlike job detailing Taylor's life but he avoids a lot of the controversy by not making some pretty basic judgments into Taylor's character.
Richard Nixon - Tom Wicker - An odd book. Wicker writes with great insight into Nixon, but he seems to get tired of writing the book. Watergate is almost completely left out as is much of the last years of Nixon's presidency. SMR
James Polk Eugene McCormac - This two volume set was one of the most disappointing biographies I read, but there is little available as far as a complete biography of Polk. A political biography, that completely ignores Polk's personal life (slave-owner, ambitious wife, father). SMR
John Tyler - Oliver Chitwood - A poorly organized and overly apologetic biography of one of the leading candidates for worst president. Written in the thirties, this book is stylistically dated. SMR.
William Taft - Judith Icke Anderson The author is a disciple of the Fawn Brodie - psychoanalytic school of biography. Taft is actually a pretty easy guy to figure out, and he was quite open and honest about his feelings about his life and career. He didn't need this sort of biography.
Benjamin Harrison - Harry Sievers - This is dreck! Three volumes of hero worship. Harrison had an interesting life and was an ineffective president, but this set does little to engage the reader. SMR
William McKinley - Kevin Phillips - This is more of a long essay than a biography. Way too many aspects of his life are brushed over. I was left with far too many questions about McKinley, and definitely feel a need to find another McKinley biography. SMR

Excellent Review of Monroe's Career.......2005-09-26

This book provides an excellent review of the career of our Fifth president. James Monroe had a long and distinguished career of Public Service, so providing a complete and thorough examination of his career is a very daunting task. The author does a good job of detailing his career. The only slight critisicm I had was that at times it got to detailed.

A Solid Biography of a Hard Working Man.......2005-04-03

This book is an excellent biography of James Monroe. Having read biographies of several other founding fathers recently, I decided to pick this one up as well.

It is a very thorough review of our fifth president's entire life. I found that it did well to not focus on the Monroe Doctrine, showing him for who he was, not as history remembers him to be, as simply the author of the Doctrine.

This book portrays James Monroe as a hard working member of the Republican Party, who gradually rose through the ranks to become the evident choice as the successor to his friend and fellow Virginian, James Madison. Not because he was charismatic or a genius, but simply because he was a good man who served his party well, and would not cause infighting amongst other members of the party.

If you're looking to learn more about our early presidents, by all means, pick up this book. But if you're looking for a book about a charismatic hero of the revolutionary era, it certainly isn't going to be about James Monroe.

Average customer rating:

An interesting, if prejudiced, look at the Ulster Scots
The birth and assimilation of a people
Scottish people don't refer to themselves as "Scotch"
"For They Desired a Better Country"-Hebrews 11:16
Thoroughly Documented & Well Written

The Scotch-Irish: A Social History
James G. Leyburn
Manufacturer: The University of North Carolina Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0807842591

Book Description

Dispelling much of what he terms the 'mythology' of the Scotch-Irish, James Leyburn provides an absorbing account of their heritage. He discusses their life in Scotland, when the essentials of their character and culture were shaped; their removal to Northern Ireland and the action of their residence in that region upon their outlook on life; and their successive migrations to America, where they settled especially in the back-country of Pennsylvania, Virginia, the Carolinas, and Georgia, and then after the Revolutionary War were in the van of pioneers to the west.

Customer Reviews:

An interesting, if prejudiced, look at the Ulster Scots.......2007-04-08

Prof. Leyburn obviously did some study on his subject, and it shows in this book. He is able to recount in fair detail the history of "the Scotch Irish", but it is plain how little he thought of them. It seems that his underlying goal is to correct the "overpraise" the Ulster Scots have received from some quarters. His descriptions of the Scots could have been penned by the most bigoted English historian. Leyburn has used such disparaging accounts of the Scots in their homeland that one would be lead to believe that Cro-Magnons could teach them some things about hygiene and manners, but due to the lack of Cro-Magnons, God gave the Scots the English to help them.

His contention that the Ulster Scots did not remain Ulster Scots but became "Americans" is not wholly true. While those states with a large number of people with Scots ancestry have always been among the first to defend this country and stand up to the rest of the world as Americans, they have also been very rooted in the history of their people and their family. I grew up in the South in an area of heavy Scots/Ulster Scots ancestry, where the current use of words from Scotland and Ulster continues by the elder generation. The people there have all been born in America, but they are quicker to point out that they are "Scotch Irish" than they are to say American. They raised their children to be the same way. The United States may be the place of birth, but the blood is Scots.

The birth and assimilation of a people.......2005-09-27

Book contents: foreword - 2pp, table of contents - 4 pp, text -344pp (including 5 maps), timeline of Scotland - 3pp, notes -16pp, bibliography - 19pp, and index - 5 pp.

Overall the book was very good, particularly for someone like myself who wasn't certain his roots were Scotch or Scotch Irish. It was well researched.

The maps of America were not particularly helpful. It was not immediately clear how they fit into the colonies as a whole, and it was sometimes difficult to picture migration patterns. There were no arrows on the maps or other indications of patterned settlement or movement to complete the text descriptions.

The timeline was helpful, but it was only of Scotland up to 1690. A timeline for the Scotch Irish from 1610 forward would have been more germane.

The book first covers Scottish culture prior to the migration of Lowland Scots to Northern Ireland. Then in 1610 King James of England opened Northern Ireland, aka Ulster, to both English and Scottish settlers at the expense of the native Irish. This act set the stage for the current strife and political separation of Northern Ireland.

Through four generations, the Scottish settlers in Northern Ireland became culturally separated from the Scotland of their origin. Then many of them immigrated to America in five great waves between 1717 and 1775, entering colonial America primarily through Pennsylvania and migrating south through the Virginia valley. Initially, these people were commonly referred to as Irish. The term "Scotch Irish" was later invoked to distinguish them from the Irish immigrating to America from the southern part of Ireland.

The lives and contributions of the Scotch Irish in America are described. Separate identity of the Scotch Irish essentially ends with the American Revolution, after which these people meld into the overall cultural fabric of the United States.

Scottish people don't refer to themselves as "Scotch".......2005-07-27

Scots, maybe, but usually just plain Scottish. Scotch is a common name for whisky. It amazes me how many people here tell me that they are "Scotch-Irish" - to me it makes them sound like an idiot.

"For They Desired a Better Country"-Hebrews 11:16.......2004-03-18

This is the first book I've read about the Scotch Irish and seems to be the accepted standard on the subject.

Professor Leyburn explains in his introduction that his book is "a social history of the Scotch-Irish. In this day of specialization, a social historian who undertakes to recount the life of people through three centuries and in three countries knowingly risks his scholarly head. Experts in Scottish, Irish, and American colonial history can only regard him as...ignorant of the finer points within their special fields. Scottish history is full of old controversies...Irish history has been so turbulent...few of its events is agreed upon." And Leyburn accomplishes this in only 330 pages. He divides his book into three parts:the Scot in 1600, the Scots in Ireland, the Scotch-Irish in America.

Being a southerner with Scotch-Irish roots in Tennessee, I was upset early on when Leyburn stated that Teddy Roosevelt's and others' claims that the Scotch-Irish were hardy, honorable folk was overblown. (Teddy's mother, Eleanor's grandmother, was a native Georgian, hardened, undoubtedly, by the Civil War's trials, Sherman's fiery footprints, amongst other things). Some of the trials of the Ulster scots in war and life and the deprivations they had to endure reminded me of the 40 day siege of Vicksburg, MS and the resiliency demonstrated by its citizens during the civil war. However, later on in the book, Leyburn's careful reasoning convinced me that he was more realistic. What stirred my thinking was Leyburn's comments in Chapter 16 when he states "political opinion and activity among the Scotch-Irish varied enormously from place to place. The whole mythology concerning this people rests upon a false assumption:that all Scotch-Irish thought alike. Why should they? They had come from different social classes back home; they entered America during six decades of remarkable fluctuation in ideas; they lived in colonies whose policies, attitudes, Indian problems, and progress toward stable institutions diverged widely." One can validate that statement easily by simply surfing the web and looking at the politics of numerous U.S. presidents with Scotch-Irish roots and see the "divergence" Leyburn speaks of.

I do believe, however, that Teddy Roosevelt's assertion that some Ulster Scots, Scotch-Irish, did play a pivotal role in early American history has many proofs. In Pennsylvania, as Leyburn recounts, in 1764, Ulster Scots pushed for equal representation within the state which was dominated by the minority quaker population concentrated around Philadelphia. That issue was one which the Scot felt most keenly following the Union of the crowns in 1707 accomplished during Queen Anne's reign; in parliament, Scots nobles were unfairly outnumbered by their English counterparts, see Paterson's History of Ayrshire.

I do believe some of these simple, biblically literate peoples, did desire a better country, and considered it their God-given task to try to make it a reality. The Baptists in Virginia, James Madison's state, were a significant force behind the freedom of religion/separation of church and state movement; ONE I FIRMLY BELIEVE MUST BE MAINTAINED! Just look at the bloody history of Christian Great Britain 300 years before the Revolutionary War; events that brought persecuted immigrants to the U.S. in the first place. The stuff seminarians don't study!

If you are an American doing geneaological research on your Scotch-Irish roots this is the resource book to get. I must add, too, if you have French Huguenot roots, they might have resided in Northern Ireland, in Ulster, before coming to America. I thought Leyburn was mistaken when he referred to Alexander Hamilton as an Ulster Scot. I know for a fact (court records) that his Hamilton ancestors were Scots from Ayrshire on the western coast of Scotland. That portion of Ayr, however, is extremely close to Northern Ireland, just a hop, skip, and a jump away! Alexander Hamilton's mother was French Huguenot, possibly her ancestors left Ulster to settle in Nevis, West Indies. Leyburn's statement is therefore correct again. Chapters 12 and 13 cover the conditions prompting immigration and the actual areas of settlement in colonial America of Scotch-Irish. Many people have been researching my Hamilton ancestors for years and can't get past 1780. Many of Leyburn's analyses are correct I believe.

A New Ireland by John Hume is on my books to read list about the 1998 Good Friday peace accord. Another book highly recommended to me is The Triumph of the Laity: Scots-Irish Piety and the Great Awakening, 1625-1760 by Marilyn J. Westerkamp. Hopefully, that book will give me a better understanding of my ancestors' background.

I gave the 5 star rating because I believe the subject matter warrants further study and is relevant for today. Truly understanding Ulster's history, (I believe), the conflicts, the circumstances and the social make-up of Northern Ireland itself, at distinct times in its history, is essential to the peace process there.

Thoroughly Documented & Well Written.......2004-01-25

Professor Leyburn left a valuable legacy in this volume. A niche of American history is covered that sadly, frequently goes overlooked. The Scotch-Irish are a substantial part of the U.S. population. Thankfully Dr. Leyburn told some of the story and it wasn't lost. He tells us in the foreword, "Histories of Scotland rarely devote more than a paragraph to the departure of thousands of Lowland Scots to Ireland in the seventeenth century." It is significant to Americans because "they came, two hundred thousand strong, to the American colonies in the eighteenth century."

They enthusiastically supported the American Revolution (as in significantly caused it to happen) and thought of themselves as "Americans" rather than Scotch-Irish.

Book Description

This beautiful book presents a fascinating array of complete women's and girls' outfits dating from the 1830s to the present, including dresses, shawls, shoes, belts, bags, fans, and hair accessories. Also included is historical and contemporary background information on Native life and Native women and their dress. To accompany a major exhibit of the same name at the NMAI in March 2007.

Customer Reviews:

Absolutely Fantastic! .......2007-03-18

I am a traditional dance dress artist, although not as prolific (or even as expert) as some of those featured in this book. If I could have given more than 5 stars it would receive them. The photos were beautifully clear, although there only one or two photos of some of the featured dresses, they showed the splendor and detail of artistry from the past. I hope this doesn't spawn more artifakes, especially those coming to the US from overseas. This book is a long-awaited dream come true.

Who Are We: The Challenges to America's National Identity

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Profound and insightful
Flawed reasoning
Honest, Challenging Talkwise Political Correctness
The new political bible of neoconservatives?
....if you don't mind ......

Who Are We: The Challenges to America's National Identity
Samuel P. Huntington
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0684870541

Book Description

In his seminal work The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order, Samuel Huntington argued provocatively and presciently that with the end of the cold war, "civilizations" were replacing ideologies as the new fault lines in international politics.

Now in his controversial new work, Who Are We?, Huntington focuses on an identity crisis closer to home as he examines the impact other civilizations and their values are having on our own country.

America was founded by British settlers who brought with them a distinct culture, says Huntington, including the English language, Protestant values, individualism, religious commitment, and respect for law. The waves of immigrants that later came to the United States gradually accepted these values and assimilated into America's Anglo-Protestant culture. More recently, however, our national identity has been eroded by the problems of assimilating massive numbers of primarily Hispanic immigrants and challenged by issues such as bilingualism, multiculturalism, the devaluation of citizenship, and the "denationalization" of American elites.

September 11 brought a revival of American patriotism and a renewal of American identity, but already there are signs that this revival is fading. Huntington argues the need for us to reassert the core values that make us Americans. Timely and thought-provoking, Who Are We? is an important book that is certain to shape our national conversation about who we are.

Customer Reviews:

Profound and insightful.......2007-08-31

This book helps enlighten those who deride as "racist" other Americans who are against illegal immigration. The dangers to our society are real. While Huntington didn't cover every aspect of "Americanism" throughout American history (the book would have been too long of course), he did touch on the essence of what it means to be an American.

Flawed reasoning.......2007-08-30

Dr. Huntington starts his book with 58 pages of American history but devotes less than one paragraph to slavery.

Considering over 600,000 Americans died in the Civil War (proportionally, that would be over 3 million Americans today), there is only one word for a Harvard professor who would try to describe "who are we" while disregarding the most significant issue of our country's history: Bigot.

Honest, Challenging Talkwise Political Correctness.......2007-01-30

Dr. Huntington's book caused alot of upheaval in academia because it dared to say what others will not out of fear of disrupting the multicultural establishment. This book asked the difficult questions which demand honest debate and tough answers. I would encourage anyone to read this who is interested in the cultural transformation our nation has undergone over the past fourty years and where we are heading.
talkwiseblog

The new political bible of neoconservatives?.......2006-12-14

I have read 'The Clash of Civilizations' few years ago, and it didnt make sense to me at that time. Of course after 9/11 the picture became clear. The Clash of Civilizations was the bible of US foreign policy during Bush Administration. Of course the book was faulty in theory and now it is clear how in practice the Bush Adminstration is suffering.

This applies for this book in hand. It is focused internally. I dont claim that I undestand the US internal politics. However, I can see from this book that the current governing minority senses a threat from a growing minority 'Hispanics', which will shift the power balance in the coming 10-20 years.

Again, the book theory doesn't make sense. It profess discrimination under new political titles by doing the following:
- He differentiate between immigrants based on the period of immigration, to conclude that since the early immigrants founded US then they have more rights to shape its future.
- He differentiates between immigrants based on their original cultures and relgion. Since US was founded by Anglo Protestant immigrants, it should continue with a storng Anglo Protestnat culture.

Any political leader who adopts this books theories will take US to a path of civil war.

....if you don't mind .............2006-10-23

A couple of interesting points:

To read about the transformation from Secular to Religious states, even in the developed countries, (Pages 355, 356/7/8) and that Islam and Christianity are `competing worldwide for converts and gaining them ......'.
Perhaps the reason is because people are beginning to realize how the gist of the teachings of any religion (Jewish, Christian and Muslim) as a restraining influence, which clearly proves the insanity of aggressive wars.
Generations of `Ideologies' fought each other's.
Religions did not fight each other's.
True, certain groups of Christians (the Crusaders) aggressively fought groups of Muslims but the real purpose was indeed political, not religious, because they did not fight `Islam' per se.
Even when the Christians fought Christians, and the Muslims fought Muslims (as recent as in the twentieth century) the real motivations were purely mundane - commercial, financial, greed, expansionism and power possessiveness.
The theory that `war is a biological necessity, it carries out among humankind the natural law of the struggle for existence' has failed. The world has lost millions of people in the last Century when the warring parties stood away from the deep teachings of their religion, and the victor actually suffered equally with the vanquished.

On Page 299 concerning intermarriages `the melting pot is working, but it is working at the individual, not the societal, level ....." It is proven that speaking the language of the country of `the new residence' is not enough for one to migrate into `the new societies', simply because there is not one society, instead there are different and dissimilar societies grappling to live in `one' country.
The advent of Anglophone (or Francophone) is more cultural and less social.
Some Muslim crowds, for example, milling in the streets and massed in hundreds in front of the mosque to pray is indicative that their `new' societies did not run so deep, and their instinctive attachments to their roots remain nostalgic, like telling everyone "by the power of `force-majeure' our fathers and grandfathers came here looking for better means of subsistence having waited in the ultimate dim in our countries of origin to find it, but couldn't".
On the `callers' announcement to the crowd, they are cheered up peacefully and rushed off here to vent their feelings in the course of lack of natural affinity for how the `new' societies live.
It is noticeable how Muslims and Christians from the Middle East flock together, cook and eat their food from `Home', and go back to their mother tongues as the means for two-way-communication.
The same applies to ethnic groups from Mexico, Ireland, and the Italians etcetera.
But the challenge in America (and the West) is when the different `ethnic' groups remain reticent, (or at most hate), from mixing with the so-called `white Americans', and take `Religion' as a `Shield'.
The danger though is when such groups transform themselves into fortresses, once the mobilization button is pushed.

Identity and Foreign Policy in the Middle East

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Identity and Foreign Policy in the Middle East

Manufacturer: Cornell University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Middle East | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0801487455

The Nation In The Village: The Genesis Of Peasant National Identity In Austrian Poland, 18481914

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The Nation In The Village: The Genesis Of Peasant National Identity In Austrian Poland, 18481914
Keely Stauter-Halsted
Manufacturer: Cornell University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Austria | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0801489962

Book Description

How do peasants come to think of themselves as members of a nation? The widely accepted argument is that national sentiment originates among intellectuals or urban middle classes, then "trickles down" to the working class and peasants. Keely Stauter-Halsted argues that such models overlook the independent contribution of peasant societies. She explores the complex case of the Polish peasants of Austrian Galicia, from the 1848 emancipation of the serfs to the eve of the First World War.

In the years immediately after emancipation, Polish-speaking peasants were more apt to identify with the Austrian Emperor and the Catholic Church than with their Polish lords or the middle classes of the Galician capital, Cracow. Yet by the end of the century, Polish-speaking peasants would cheer, "Long live Poland" and celebrate the centennial of the peasant-fueled insurrection in defense of Polish independence.

The explanation for this shift, Stauter-Halsted says, is the symbiosis that developed between peasant elites and upper-class reformers. She reconstructs this difficult, halting process, paying particular attention to public life and conflicts within the rural communities themselves. The author's approach is at once comparative and interdisciplinary, drawing from literature on national identity formation in Latin America, China, and Western Europe. The Nation in the Village combines anthropology, sociology, and literary criticism with economic, social, cultural, and political history.

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