The book calls attention to what Emerson sees as the similarities between the appearances of Americans and the English. He describes both as having a red and white complexion, blonde hair, blue eyes, and tall height. He compares these "Anglo-Saxon traits" with the "dark" Celts who are, in his words, "more Asian than British." His chapter on "race" focuses on the inherent brutality and "manly" beauty of the English (Anglo-Saxon) race. It is this "natural militarism," he writes, which justifies the conquering of lands and people, referring both to the British Empire and those he names as the "true" leaders of the United States–those of Anglo-Saxon descent.