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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #390186 in Books
• Published on: 2009-07-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 368 pages

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.

Customer Reviews

The Whole Story at Last
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.

Scots-Irish building America
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!

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. However, Webb goes too far in defining this attribute as somehow ethnically unique.

Webb also overplays the Scots-Irish role in the American War of Independence. One throwaway passage is, "Although the trained minds of New England's Puritan culture and Virginia's Cavalier aristocracy had shaped the finer intellectual points of the argument for political disuinion, the true passion for individual rights emanated from the radical individualism of the Presbyterian and, increasingly, Baptist pulpits. This concept ... dovetailed neatly with the aristocratic forces of revolution in the East."

One can appreciate Webb's desire to emphasise the passion of the Scots-Irish, but his arguments could have been stronger by demonstrating a more fulsome knowledge of the "finer intellectual points". For example, it was no mean feat to convince some of the reluctant colonial governors to side with the cause of independence. Furthermore, these "trained minds" included many of America's Founding Fathers, whose wisdom established the political philosophy by which the US government still lives by.

So, while Born Fighting is a decent read about a proud Scots-Irish American's perspective on his communal ancestors' contributions to American culture and society, this not the more serious investigation as it at times pretends to be.