Nature Knows No Color-Line:
Research into the Negro Ancestry in the White Race by J. A. Rogers
Reviewer: Haseeb from Ocala, FL United States This book was originally published in 1952 and then renewed in 1980. This book along with the author's three volume series "Sex and Race" are simply the best books ever written on the issue of race mixing.
The book consists of 11 chapters which are:
I. Where did the color problem originate? and why
Rogers investsigates the origin of black/white racism by looking at what has been written about black skin and black people in ancient times.
II. Color prejudice among whites and among darker peoples for their own kind.
Examples of racist beliefs in Greece, Ancient India and Europe. Numerous photos of sculptures are given along with references.
III. Negroes in Ancient Europe - Greece
The title of this chapter speaks for itself. There are numerous illustrations. The one flaw in this chapter that I found is the statement by the author that one finds the least race predudice in Europe. Maybe this was true in the 50s, but it certainly isn't true today. Iceland is perhaps the only European country with very little or no race predudice today. With the advent of immigration however, I wouldn't be surprised to see racism grow in Iceland just as it has grown in Europe since the 50s.
IV. Intermixture of whites and blacks in ancient Rome
As usual, Rogers provides numerous notes with references along with illustrations.
V. Racial intermixture in Spain and Portugal
The history of the moors in spain is discussed. It is a well known fact that the moorish scholars laid down the foundation of scientific thought in Europe.
VI. The negro as "moor" - negro ancestry in aristocratic european families
Coats of arms of eminent black English, French, Dutch, Beligian, Italian, Spanish, Polish, German and central european families is given. Many of the pictures show black people wearing jewels, crowns, and holding swords. Whatever they are wearing or doing, they are obviously people of very high status. There is no doubt that the royal family of England has blacks in their family. On the cover of the book, there is a picture of Queen Charlotte Sophia who obviously is woman of black ancestry.
VII. Mixtures of whites and blacks in Greece, Turkey, Italy and Central Europe
Pictures of the European slave market is given along with pictures of blacks in Russia, Belgium and Holland. There are also pictures German women with their interracial children. Interracial marriages in Norway and Denmark are also mentioned.
VIII. Negro ancestry in the French
IX. Negro ancestry in the Anglo-Saxon "race"
Throughout europe there are indeed many prominent people who are of black ancestry.
X. Negro ancestry in white america
XI. Some recent well-to-do mixed marriages mentioned in the press
A listing of interracial marriages (names and dates) in the US, some of which brought prison terms.
Nature Knows No Color-Line:
Research into the Negro Ancestry in the White Race by J. A. Rogers
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