Born Fighting

How the Scots-Irish Shaped America

By: Jim Webb

Narrated by: Allan Robertson

Length: 13 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

Born Fighting shows that the Scots-Irish were 40 percent of the Revolutionary War army; they included the pioneers Daniel Boone, Lewis and Clark, Davy Crockett, and Sam Houston; they were the writers Edgar Allan Poe and Mark Twain; and they have given America numerous great military leaders, including Stonewall Jackson, Ulysses S. Grant, Audie Murphy, and George S. Patton, as well as most of the soldiers of the Confederacy (only five percent of whom owned slaves, and who fought against what they viewed as an invading army). It illustrates how the Scots-Irish redefined American politics, creating the populist movement and giving the country a dozen presidents, including Andrew Jackson, Teddy Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton. And it explores how the Scots-Irish culture of isolation, hard luck, stubbornness, and mistrust of the nation's elite formed and still dominates blue-collar America, the military services, the Bible Belt, and country music.

Both a distinguished work of cultural history and a human drama that speaks straight to the heart of contemporary America, Born Fighting reintroduces America to its most powerful, patriotic, and individualistic cultural group - one too often ignored or taken for granted.

©2004 Jim Webb (P)2015 ListenUp Production, LLC

I am William Wallace

a work of mythopoietic brilliance - a Lincolnesque American story that will never grow old

A truly illuminating and inspiring book

This is among one of the best books I have ever read. It was illuminating and inspiring. The use of narrative aided the ability of the author to convey passion and clarity on complex issues. As a Leader, it has served to deepen my understanding of our America. I look forward to reading Jim Webb’s next book.
I highly recommend it to all.

Will Archer
Dumfries,Virginia

Wonderful, informative, compelling book!

The author does an outstanding job of clearly laying out Scot-Irish history. Never boring, always enlightening!

President Webb May Have Been The US's Last Chance

No other major voice within the Democrat Party understood American Greatness nearly as well as Webb demonstrated in this book. He was a product of unique circumstances that will not be repeated. Whatever shortcomings I may ascribe to his worldview as expressed in this book stand as nothing when compared to the apparently inevitable rhyme with The Thirty Years War that will be for freedom from a top-down quasi-theocracy.

Should have stopped while ahead

The first 75% of this book was informative, but toward the end became an opinion piece.
The Scots-Irish have a huge influence on this country, and have been underestimated and disdained. Their history has been ignored in the textbooks. It shouldn't be a surprise that they are part of a political uprising now.
I recommend American Nations by Colin Woodard, There is overlap, since the Scots-Irish are one of the nations he writes about. The themes about the Scots-Irish were consistent between the two books, which was reassuring, given that the authors were from different parts of the political spectrum.

I love this book!

It's full of so much information that I will have to listen to it again but that's ok because I enjoyed every minute of it. This isn't usually the kind of book I listen to but Ive been wanting to learn more about my scots Irish ancestors and this book delivered big.

American Mindset - from Scots-Irish Immigrants

An ethnic group that assimilates so well it's identity is melded into a new continent of people as a whole. It was easy to stay focused & learn. These are a people that value truth above all.

Fantastic Historical Relevance

I appreciated the scholarship and research that went into this timeline of courage and tenacity found in an enduring people. That Mr. Webb wove in so much of his own family history and personal experiences, which shaped him also as a principled fighter for honor and liberty, was what made this book so meaningful to me. That he is so Jacksonian could be a point of historical debate since Jackson has some curious and contradictory history. Overall, this text could be a valuable resource for High School American History classes.

very good

very good book for anyone interested in understanding southern culture. part history lesson, part political/cultural essay, part memoir. the chapters on Scots Irish military history were important for understanding the evolution of southern culture, but could have been just as effective in half the pages, so I docked a star. but honestly that's my only complaint. overall a great book and really captured and explained southern spirit (I'm born and bred in east Tennessee, now living in georgia)

Thought provoking

Good recounting of pre and post British Isles immigration to America. Personal history anecdotally woven in enriches the narrative.