This monograph is an original study of what is commonly termed the American "myth of Ham." It examines black and white Americans' recourse to the biblical character of Ham as a cultural strategy for explaining racial origins. Previous studies in the area have been restricted to associating the Hamitic idea with pro-slavery arguments, whereas the thesis of this project reveals a fundamental irony: black American Christians who reinforced the meanings of illegitimacy by appealing to Ham as the ancestor of the race.

A rich account of the long history of Black religion from the dawn of Western colonialism to the rise of the national security paradigm.