one drop of blood:The American misadventure of race

One Drop of Blood: The American Misadventure of race
Scott L. Malcomson

This book chronicles the history of attitudes toward race. From the European expansion into Africa and the attitudes that developed through the American revolution toward Indians and Blacks. Indian ownership of Black slave, the Harlem renaissance and other social issues to date.

As the Europeans expanded into Africa in some instances, the main point of focus wasn't so much skin color as it was religion. Malcomson mentions political alliances involving marriage and yes, even reproduction occurred between Ethiopians and Spaniards.

A few northern Mediterranean dreamers had hope to find a Christian kingdom south of Morocco...with the thought of an African (incidentally Black) alliance creating a Christian belt that might then be tightened against North African Islam...what ever ill opinion Iberians may have had concerning dark skin, they evidently did not preclude political alliances by the intimate means of marriage and reproduction.

One Drop of Blood: The American Misadventure of race, is a first-rate education, on the history of the development of racial attitudes. From its colonial beginnings to that which is uniquely American. Not the fast and popular notions we're used to. Certainly, the collective consciousness of peoples attitude towards others, isn't something that developed overnight.

What Scott L. Malcomson was able to do in this book is demonstrate exactly that. But a books on such a charged subject matter is not without its critics. Scott L Malcomson's delivers quite an impressive, detailed work as he weave the chronology of historical events leading up to the state of color prejudice in America.