The White Man's Burden: Historical Origins of Racism in the United States (Galaxy Books) [Paperback]

Winthrop D. Jordan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 24, 1974 | ISBN-10: 0195017439 | ISBN-13: 978-0195017434

An abridgement of the prize-winning White Over Black

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Still one of the finest works on this topic."--Andrew T. Miller, Union College

"The best secondary text I've ever found. It opens a class up to racial-ethnic problems, opens eyes to human perceptions. Keep it in print!"--Robert W. Sellen,Georgia State Univ."

"Jordan's White Over Black...[now] published in a slightly more simplified form under the title of The White Man's Burden...is an outstanding work that traces the subtle, insidious and oftentimes unconscious psychology of racism in Western culture back to its Elizabethan origins."--America

"The White Man's Burden provides a storehouse of information on the origins of racism in the United States."--Southern Humanities Review

"There is no better book on its subject; nor is there likely to be one for many years."--History: Reviews of New Books

"Teachers will welcome with relief the appearance of this classic study in a form suitable for classroom use."--Journal of Southern History

"A very readable condensation...not only does it make Jordan's important findings accessible...but it also serves to throw into sharper relief his main argument."--George M. Fredrickson, The New York Review of Books

"Precisely what was needed to make the brilliant White Over Black manageable for classroom use."--Richard Crepesi, Florida Technological University

"A thoughtful, searching essay on the embryology of racism in the young Republic....For students and scholars, this is a balanced, intelligent investigation of the ideas which fathered Jim Crow."--Kirkus Reviews

"Jordan's abridgement is valuable for his concise presentation of his thesis that there was a mutual relationship between prejudice against blacks and slavery, and that after slavery's establishment, other factors, especially interracial sex, created tensions which led to strict control over blacks and to their alienation by white society."--Library Journal

About the Author

Winthrop D. Jordan is at University of Mississippi.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (January 24, 1974)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195017439
• ISBN-13: 978-0195017434
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #102,104 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars What makes a man black?, July 16, 2005

By 

The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers (RAWSISTAZ.com and BlackBookReviews.net) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The White Man's Burden: Historical Origins of Racism in the United States (Galaxy Books) (Paperback)

Dr. Winthrop D. Jordan in THE WHITE MAN'S BURDEN, has explored the reasons for racism in America. He not only explores the newly settled America, but goes back as far as the first contacts Europeans had with Africans. He suggests perhaps because white men encountered black men and great apes at the same time, they were inclined to think that there was a connection between them. French political theorist, Jean Bodin wrote, "promiscuous coition of men and animals took place, wherefore the regions of Africa produce for us so many monsters." In spite of such writings, Dr. Jordan said that belief was not wide spread but was available as a theory for later use. Fast forwarding to America, Dr. Jordan cites the writings of Thomas Jefferson, who seemed conflicted knowing that black men were equal to white men, but doubting that black men were as intelligent as white men.

The Quakers in America were the strongest abolitionists. Others often gave lip service to the wrongs of slavery but they also debated a white man's property couldn't just be taken from him or they used the Bible and the story of Noah's son Canaan and the curse of Ham to justify keeping black men in bondage. Their conclusion was that God originally made all men white and black men were black because God cursed them. Another theory was that the skins of Africans were black because they suffered from leprosy, the most hideous disease of those times. Also under consideration was that Africans were from a climate with brilliant sunlight but after spending time in a more moderate climate, their skins would lighten up. Of course that didn't happen.

Winthrop D. Jordan, professor of History at the University of Mississippi, has written an explicit history that covers the mentality of the white men who enslaved black men and examines their justifications for doing so. He has done this by going to the original writings of the people who were commenting when all of this was taking place. At times I wanted to scream, especially when Dr. Jordan pronounced one comment against slavery as perhaps being a bit harsh. I would ask him if those slaves were his ancestors, would the verdict be the same? All in all, he did a good job of bringing out the prejudices and the hidden agendas of the white population who were looking for a cheap, easily identifiable labor source. In addition, he explains the ambivalence whites felt toward Indians and why they did not view them in the same manner as they did blacks although they also called them "savages." The writing was smooth and easy to read with the exception of occasionally deciphering the Old English. I would recommend the book for anyone who is interested in how black people got on the receiving end of so much racism in America.

Reviewed by alice Holman
of the RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent source of information regarding racism., October 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The White Man's Burden: Historical Origins of Racism in the United States (Galaxy Books) (Paperback)

Dr. Jordan accomplished hes goal of providing insight into the origins of racism in the United States. Although unable to provide an exact beginning or reason for the gradual degradation of relations between the Negro and the white man, he did an excellent job of providing a multitude of possible inceptions. The White Man's Burden is broad enough in subject to be read and easily understood by any student desiring general knowledge of the history of racism. By chronologically gliding through history and breaking the subject down into more specific parts, it provides just enough information so as not to inundate the reader with less significant points. The White Man's Burden is and excellent source of reference for the study of racism.

12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely informative, November 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The White Man's Burden: Historical Origins of Racism in the United States (Galaxy Books) (Paperback)

I had my doubts about this book when I first saw it, but it has given me a much better underatanding of the history of racial tensions and prejudice in this country. Dr. Jordon's book is well researched and organized. It is extremely informative. I would suggest reading this book along with "Lies My Teacher Told Me" by James W. Loewen.