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# Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America (National Book Award Winner)

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Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America (National Book Award Winner) [Kendi, Ibram X.] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America (National Book Award Winner)

Review: A very painful but highly illuminating must-read on how racism took root and persists in the US - About halfway through reading this book, I realized I was highlighting almost every single page and had to start color-coding my highlights so as to make a little more sense of why certain passages struck me—a visual testimony of how illuminating Stamped from the Beginning is. With a primary focus on racism toward African-Americans and people identified as Black, this book is a thoroughly researched, sweepingly comprehensive survey of racism from its first traceable roots in ancient Greece when Aristotle said Africans had “burnt faces” to the start of the African slave trade in 15th century Europe, to the first recorded slave ship arriving in colonial America in 1619, all the way through the Civil War, the Jim Crow laws, the 1960s Civil Rights movement, and up to the present day. In order to help readers navigate this extensive timeline, author Ibram X. Kendi divides the book into five parts, featuring one historical figure as a sort of tour guide or anchor for each part. Very few individuals or institutions mentioned in this book come off as completely free of racist thinking; even many abolitionists and civil rights activists are revealed to have held racist ideas that contradicted their cause. This made me realize the extent to which racism has ensnared the United States in its pernicious roots. In Stamped from the Beginning, Kendi presents two main ideas about racism that helped me understand its influence and progress over the centuries. First, he explains that “Hate and ignorance have not driven the history of racist ideas in America. Racist policies have driven the history of racist ideas in America.” The author admits, “I was taught the popular folktale of racism: that ignorant and hateful people had produced racist ideas, and that these racist people had instituted racist policies. But when I learned the motives behind the production of many of America’s most influentially racist ideas, it became quite obvious that this folktale, though sensible, was not based on a firm footing of historical evidence.” As Kendi explains further, “Racially discriminatory policies have usually sprung from economic, political, and cultural self-interests, self-interests that are constantly changing.” Now that I understand self-interest—not hate or ignorance—has been the driving factor behind racist policies, I can better understand why racism hasn’t died out with the Emancipation Proclamation or desegregation or any of the Civil Rights Acts passed in this country. Tragically, racism persists and continues to evolve according to the current self-interests of people and institutions in power. It’s why, after slavery was abolished, segregation and the Jim Crow laws rushed in to replace it, and long after segregation has been outlawed, African-Americans continue to be oppressed by disproportionate mass incarceration as well as disadvantaged by fewer, inferior housing and employment opportunities. Second, Kendi points out that racism is not simply a debate between those who support racist ideas and those who oppose racist ideas. Throughout history, three–not two–viewpoints on racism have persisted: “A group we can call segregationists has blamed Black people themselves for the racial disparities. A group we can call antiracists has pointed to racial discrimination. A group we can call assimilationists has tried to argue for both, saying that Black people and racial discrimination were to blame for racial disparities.” As much as I would like to believe I am firmly in the antiracist camp, reading this book made me realize I have held a lot of racist ideas from an assimilationist viewpoint that I need to correct. Kendi gives many examples of well-meaning civil rights activists, including some African-Americans, who upheld assimilationist ideas. Some persisted with these ideas their entire lives, others realized their error and later self-corrected to an antiracist viewpoint, and still others upheld both antiracist and assimilationist ideas, often not realizing the contradiction. Thus, a tragic pattern that has repeated itself throughout American history is the persistence of many assimilationists in seeking to abolish racist policies and ideas with the same flawed strategies that never work. Indeed, the African-American author admits, “Even though I am an African studies historian and have been tutored all my life in egalitarian spaces, I held racist notions of Black inferiority before researching and writing this book.” I think it’s crucially important that Kendi tells readers about his mistaken notions of race—not to make readers feel better about their own ignorance, but to demonstrate how deeply racist ideas have taken root in American culture. Hopefully this admission on the author’s part will ease readers out of their defensive mode and open their minds to the disturbing truth that racism is a lot more pervasive among us Americans than we would like to believe. If you want to understand exactly how racism took root in the United States and why it has persisted through the present day, if you are prepared for a very sobering, very painful, and often highly disturbing look at the many flaws, hypocrisies, and atrocities in the American notions of democracy, exceptionalism, and “liberty and justice for all,” then Stamped from the Beginning is a must-read. Ultimately, what the author conveys with copious examples is that “Black Americans’ history of oppression has made Black opportunities—not Black people—inferior.” An absolutely necessary emendation to the traditionally accepted canon of American history.
Review: Essential reading - I wish I’d learnt this history decades ago. This book illuminates how the world has, for many of us, come to be seen through a white supremacist lens. It provides religious, political, technological, sociological context over centuries and Millenia. It explains the justifications used to treat our fellow humans as ‘less than’ - the sort of thinking that we in the ‘western’, white, colonial world have inherited, that persists through literature, philosophy and mythology, and that continues to fuel bigotry and oppression today. Eye opening. Can’t recommend more highly (book, kindle, audiobook).

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #76,295 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #6 in Black & African American History (Books) #12 in Discrimination & Racism #14 in Black & African American Biographies |
| Customer Reviews | 4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars (12,839) |
| Dimensions  | 5.95 x 1.8 x 9.15 inches |
| Edition  | Reprint |
| ISBN-10  | 1568585985 |
| ISBN-13  | 978-1568585987 |
| Item Weight  | 1.34 pounds |
| Language  | English |
| Print length  | 608 pages |
| Publication date  | August 15, 2017 |
| Publisher  | Bold Type Books |

## Images

![Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America (National Book Award Winner) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51gHwgRWmgL.jpg)
![Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America (National Book Award Winner) - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91P80kXFyLL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A very painful but highly illuminating must-read on how racism took root and persists in the US
*by A***R on April 26, 2017*

About halfway through reading this book, I realized I was highlighting almost every single page and had to start color-coding my highlights so as to make a little more sense of why certain passages struck me—a visual testimony of how illuminating Stamped from the Beginning is. With a primary focus on racism toward African-Americans and people identified as Black, this book is a thoroughly researched, sweepingly comprehensive survey of racism from its first traceable roots in ancient Greece when Aristotle said Africans had “burnt faces” to the start of the African slave trade in 15th century Europe, to the first recorded slave ship arriving in colonial America in 1619, all the way through the Civil War, the Jim Crow laws, the 1960s Civil Rights movement, and up to the present day. In order to help readers navigate this extensive timeline, author Ibram X. Kendi divides the book into five parts, featuring one historical figure as a sort of tour guide or anchor for each part. Very few individuals or institutions mentioned in this book come off as completely free of racist thinking; even many abolitionists and civil rights activists are revealed to have held racist ideas that contradicted their cause. This made me realize the extent to which racism has ensnared the United States in its pernicious roots. In Stamped from the Beginning, Kendi presents two main ideas about racism that helped me understand its influence and progress over the centuries. First, he explains that “Hate and ignorance have not driven the history of racist ideas in America. Racist policies have driven the history of racist ideas in America.” The author admits, “I was taught the popular folktale of racism: that ignorant and hateful people had produced racist ideas, and that these racist people had instituted racist policies. But when I learned the motives behind the production of many of America’s most influentially racist ideas, it became quite obvious that this folktale, though sensible, was not based on a firm footing of historical evidence.” As Kendi explains further, “Racially discriminatory policies have usually sprung from economic, political, and cultural self-interests, self-interests that are constantly changing.” Now that I understand self-interest—not hate or ignorance—has been the driving factor behind racist policies, I can better understand why racism hasn’t died out with the Emancipation Proclamation or desegregation or any of the Civil Rights Acts passed in this country. Tragically, racism persists and continues to evolve according to the current self-interests of people and institutions in power. It’s why, after slavery was abolished, segregation and the Jim Crow laws rushed in to replace it, and long after segregation has been outlawed, African-Americans continue to be oppressed by disproportionate mass incarceration as well as disadvantaged by fewer, inferior housing and employment opportunities. Second, Kendi points out that racism is not simply a debate between those who support racist ideas and those who oppose racist ideas. Throughout history, three–not two–viewpoints on racism have persisted: “A group we can call segregationists has blamed Black people themselves for the racial disparities. A group we can call antiracists has pointed to racial discrimination. A group we can call assimilationists has tried to argue for both, saying that Black people and racial discrimination were to blame for racial disparities.” As much as I would like to believe I am firmly in the antiracist camp, reading this book made me realize I have held a lot of racist ideas from an assimilationist viewpoint that I need to correct. Kendi gives many examples of well-meaning civil rights activists, including some African-Americans, who upheld assimilationist ideas. Some persisted with these ideas their entire lives, others realized their error and later self-corrected to an antiracist viewpoint, and still others upheld both antiracist and assimilationist ideas, often not realizing the contradiction. Thus, a tragic pattern that has repeated itself throughout American history is the persistence of many assimilationists in seeking to abolish racist policies and ideas with the same flawed strategies that never work. Indeed, the African-American author admits, “Even though I am an African studies historian and have been tutored all my life in egalitarian spaces, I held racist notions of Black inferiority before researching and writing this book.” I think it’s crucially important that Kendi tells readers about his mistaken notions of race—not to make readers feel better about their own ignorance, but to demonstrate how deeply racist ideas have taken root in American culture. Hopefully this admission on the author’s part will ease readers out of their defensive mode and open their minds to the disturbing truth that racism is a lot more pervasive among us Americans than we would like to believe. If you want to understand exactly how racism took root in the United States and why it has persisted through the present day, if you are prepared for a very sobering, very painful, and often highly disturbing look at the many flaws, hypocrisies, and atrocities in the American notions of democracy, exceptionalism, and “liberty and justice for all,” then Stamped from the Beginning is a must-read. Ultimately, what the author conveys with copious examples is that “Black Americans’ history of oppression has made Black opportunities—not Black people—inferior.” An absolutely necessary emendation to the traditionally accepted canon of American history.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Essential reading
*by S***E on January 27, 2026*

I wish I’d learnt this history decades ago. This book illuminates how the world has, for many of us, come to be seen through a white supremacist lens. It provides religious, political, technological, sociological context over centuries and Millenia. It explains the justifications used to treat our fellow humans as ‘less than’ - the sort of thinking that we in the ‘western’, white, colonial world have inherited, that persists through literature, philosophy and mythology, and that continues to fuel bigotry and oppression today. Eye opening. Can’t recommend more highly (book, kindle, audiobook).

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Every american should be encouraged to read this text
*by K***R on April 4, 2018*

This book had a profound impact on me. It has changed how I view all political discussions, history discussions, policy discussions, and race discussions. As a Hispanic Caucasian, I was acutely unaware of much of America's racist history. I knew the obvious examples, but this book really shows how extensive the racism is and its profound effects that are still heavily in effect today. Kendi's thesis is short and simple: racist ideas were created to justify racist policies. This is counter to the common argument that ignorance and racism spurs racist policies. Kendi lays out his main thesis at the beginning of the book and follows it up with example after example to back it up. Keeping the thesis and definition of racism simple really helps emphasize Kendi's point throughout the book. This book is also thorough; so much history is covered by this book. I spent a lot of time looking up some historical events or figures in more detail on Wikipedia to get a fuller picture. If you are unfamiliar with American history, then expect to move very slowly through the text as you look everything up for proper context. I absolutely love this book and strongly encourage everyone to read it. However, I do have a few gripes with it: - Kendi often misled me with his wording or juxtaposition of statements. I understand he is trying to make a statement, but I wish he wouldn't do this. One example that comes to mind is Roosevelt's naming of the White House. Kendi makes it seem like Roosevelt named it the White House after the public uproar over his invitation of Booker T. Washington over for dinner. However, there doesn't appear to be any evidence to support this, and there is some indication the White House was already referred to by that name well before the dinner. To Kendi's credit, he doesn't explicitly say the naming was done to appease the public, he just points out that it happened and people were still upset. Another example is his mention of black unemployment rates rising sharply in the early 1980s. This is true, but all unemployment rates rose during that time due to the recession. Yes, the black unemployment rate was worse, but he doesn't make that point: he only mentions the black unemployment rates. So as a reader you have to be careful of the facts you internalize from the book. - The organization of the book didn't really do anything for me. He tries to break down the text into 4 main sections, each focusing on a different historical figure. However, the focus on the figures didn't really contribute much, in my opinion, to his thesis. It brought some organization to his book, but not much. I would have preferred he spent more of the book going into details of some of the more significant policies or events than to keep looping the historical figure back in. - Text can read a bit haphazardly at times. There are certain sections of the book where I feel Kendi is jumping around history pretty quickly to different events and it becomes difficult for me to follow. Eventually he gets around to making a point, but it usually takes too long for me to fully grasp it at the moment. I have to often re-read these sections a second time to really get it. Again, please buy this book and read it. We would all be better off to know this history and the racist policies behind it.

## Frequently Bought Together

- Stamped from the Beginning
- Black and British: A Forgotten History

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