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Product Description
Product Description
More than 27 million Americans today can trace their lineage to the Scots, whose bloodline was stained by centuries of continuous warfare along the border between England and Scotland, and later in the bitter settlements of England's Ulster Plantation in Northern Ireland.
When hundreds of thousands of Scots-Irish migrated to America in the eighteenth century, they brought with them not only long experience as rebels and outcasts but also unparalleled skills as frontiersmen and guerrilla fighters. Their cultural identity reflected acute individualism, dislike of aristocracy and a military tradition; and, over time, the Scots-Irish defined the attitudes and values of the military, of working-class America and even of the peculiarly populist form of American democracy itself.
Born Fighting is the first book to chronicle the epic journey of this remarkable ethnic group and the profound but unrecognised role it has played in shaping the social, political and cultural landscape of America from its beginnings through to the present day.
About the Author
James Webb is the author of six bestselling novels, including Fields of Fire and The Emperor's General. He is also a filmaker (Rules of Engagement), an Emmy Award-winning journalist and has taught literature at university level. A descendant of Scots-Irish immigrants from Ulster who emigrated to the British North American colonies in the eighteenth century, he lives in Virginia.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As someone who actually is Scots-Irish or Ulster-Scot, I would happily recommend this book. It is an aspect of history that attracts far too little attention, despite the influence the Scots-Irish have had on the world, especially in North America. An influence that for too long, was virtually forgotten.
"A Yank in Belfast" questions a few aspects of the book, such as their defence of the frontier,"...Webb goes too far in defining this attribute as somehow ethnically unique." I would say that Webb actually has a point. If you properly understand the history, culture and character traits of the average Scots-Irish settler, you would know that they were ideal frontiersmen: Independent; self-reliant and unafraid to fight for what they believed in.
Their religious beliefs, through the generations had also moulded many of them into quite radical political thinkers and they played an influential role in rebellions on both sides of the Atlantic in the 1700s. A German captain fighting on the side of the British during the American War of Independence even said, "Call this war by whatever name you may, only call it not an American rebellion; it is nothing more or less than a Scots-Irish Presbyterian rebellion". George Washington said, "If defeated everywhere else, I will make my last stand for liberty among the Scots-Irish of my native Virginia. All of this, combined with such things as their influence over the Declaration of Independence (which a Scots-Irishman printed) and many other things I could list, I think supports James Webb's comments about the importance / influence of the Scots-Irish in the history of the US. The qualities / culture / history of the people, made this possible.
The comments of "A Customer" I feel say more about his / her stereotypical ideas and prejudices against his / her Scottish Lowland neighbours, than they do about James Webb's book, or the Scots-Irish. I would suggest that you would have been better spending your time outside grinding your axe rather than reading a book about people for whom you clearly have "issues". Maybe it's time you got over, whatever your problem is. You have made various accusations & criticisms, including Webb's "ignorance". Having studied 9000 years of history that would be somewhat relevant to the contents of this book, I would suggest that readers simply ignore the historical ignorance revealed in your comments and enjoy the book.
This is an important and interesting aspect of history that people seldom have the chance to read about, which will make it all the more surprising!
"A Yank in Belfast" questions a few aspects of the book, such as their defence of the frontier,"...Webb goes too far in defining this attribute as somehow ethnically unique." I would say that Webb actually has a point. If you properly understand the history, culture and character traits of the average Scots-Irish settler, you would know that they were ideal frontiersmen: Independent; self-reliant and unafraid to fight for what they believed in.
Their religious beliefs, through the generations had also moulded many of them into quite radical political thinkers and they played an influential role in rebellions on both sides of the Atlantic in the 1700s. A German captain fighting on the side of the British during the American War of Independence even said, "Call this war by whatever name you may, only call it not an American rebellion; it is nothing more or less than a Scots-Irish Presbyterian rebellion". George Washington said, "If defeated everywhere else, I will make my last stand for liberty among the Scots-Irish of my native Virginia. All of this, combined with such things as their influence over the Declaration of Independence (which a Scots-Irishman printed) and many other things I could list, I think supports James Webb's comments about the importance / influence of the Scots-Irish in the history of the US. The qualities / culture / history of the people, made this possible.
The comments of "A Customer" I feel say more about his / her stereotypical ideas and prejudices against his / her Scottish Lowland neighbours, than they do about James Webb's book, or the Scots-Irish. I would suggest that you would have been better spending your time outside grinding your axe rather than reading a book about people for whom you clearly have "issues". Maybe it's time you got over, whatever your problem is. You have made various accusations & criticisms, including Webb's "ignorance". Having studied 9000 years of history that would be somewhat relevant to the contents of this book, I would suggest that readers simply ignore the historical ignorance revealed in your comments and enjoy the book.
This is an important and interesting aspect of history that people seldom have the chance to read about, which will make it all the more surprising!
24 of 29 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This history written by a talented and far sighted individual, James Webb, places the complete story of this remarkable ethnic group of people in its correct context. For it is their ethnicity that defines them rather than attachment to any physical space. I found Mr Webb's description of his father's funeral at Arlington very moving. It was as though, as in the days of yore, another brave warrior was laid to rest by his native clan. The sense of a bagpiper playing Scotland the Brave as it carried away on the breeze gave me 'goosebumps.' Highly recommend this book tae all Scots-Irish.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Fantastic book on a history rarely covered. I am an Ulster Scot living in Switzerland and was fascinated by the accounts of the seige of Derry and the long hard journey through the fronteirs of America. I think the author made the book very readable and I didnt want it to end.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
born fighting
if you want to know about your ancestors and how they shaped the course of scotland,ireland and america then this is a must read book.
Published 1 month ago by Mr. A. Robertson
A Welcome Contribution on the Ulster-Scots
James Webb has written an extraordinary book about the culture of the Presbyterian Scots-Irish (Ulster-Scots) people and the profound impact that their culture has had on the core... Read more
Published 3 months ago by D. Eakin
Moronic Drivel
Cleaerly written by some neo Conservative who has outdated 200 year old views on race and ethnicity. The book portrays a very inacurate picture on historical scottish culture. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Sean D. Behan
The worst ever book on Scots-Irish mythmaking
As a Scottish Highlander having read widely on Scottish history this book was the most infuriating i have ever read. Read more
Published on 16 April 2008 by A customer
Scots-Irish fighting spirit not ethnically unique
There's no denying the fighting spirit of the Scots-Irish, particularly as James Webb describes the defence of the frontier in the Appalachian Mountains. Read more
Published on 17 Sep 2007 by Mr Ulster
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