I was not ready to accept Putnam's premise of racial inequality, but in the face of such dramatic historical evidence, it seemed outrageous to me that the popular media in America promotes the idea that our Founding Fathers believed in racial integration and assimilation. Upon realizing that they had deceived me on this issue, no longer could I take any of the egalitarian pronouncements on face value. I became determined to investigate the entire issue thoroughly, trying to set aside my egalitarian prejudice.

Egalitarians argue that there are no differences in intelligence between Blacks and Whites and at the same time that environment has the greatest influence on both mental ability and character. They furthermore maintain that skin color is the only significant difference between the races. Some of them even go so far as to allege there is actually no such thing as race at all. I knew I had a lot of reading and thinking to do if I could ever gain some balanced understanding of the race issue.

Other famous words of Thomas Jefferson inscribed on his memorial read, "I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man." As I continued to read and find many more lies and falsehoods about race, my own hostility grew, along with my determination to discover the truth about race, wherever it might lead.

Are the differences between Whites and Blacks, as I wanted so desperately to believe, only the color of our skins? Or, do deeper, more significant mental and personality differences exist that are determined by genes rather than environment. If profound inherent differences do exist, then all the premises of racial integration become threatened.

Before I could understand whether or not there are inherent differences of intelligence and character between the races, I had to know if psychological differences are the product of heredity or environment, especially in that most important characteristic: intelligence.