Race and Racism Chapters 1-5 Quiz

Race and Racism Overview

• Race is a modern social construct, not based on biological differences, shaped by colonial encounters and societal interactions.
• Refers to groups sharing physical, cultural, and ancestral traits.

Understanding Racism

• Racism involves the belief that physical differences correlate with significant social and cultural hierarchies.
• Includes the practice of subordinating perceived inferior races.

Historical Context of Race

• The idea of race as a categorization system is a recent invention with roots in historical events.
• Key historical precedents include the Spanish Inquisition, English treatment of Irish, and slavery based on skin color.

Spanish Inquisition's Influence

• Focused on religious conversions, setting the foundation for European racial hierarchies through concepts of blood purity.

Perceptions of Native Americans

• The term "savage" originated from views held about Irish people, influencing colonists' attitudes toward Indigenous populations.

The Impact of Slave Codes

• In the 1600s, laws codified racial distinctions, prohibiting the freeing of slaves and interracial unions while ensuring lifelong slavery for African descended individuals.

Bacon's Rebellion

• An early uprising involving collaboration between blacks and whites, which led to heightened fears among elite planters and subsequent laws instituting racial divisions.

Initial Justifications for Slavery

• Colonists initially did not conceptualize race; their justification for slavery stemmed from land acquisition motivations against Indigenous populations and the need for labor.

Differences in Ancient Slavery

• Ancient slavery in societies like Greece and Rome differed in that it often resulted from warfare or debts, contrasting with the lifelong racial aspect of US slavery.

Intelligence Testing vs. Craniometry

• Intelligence tests aimed to measure intellectual ability, while craniometry falsely linked skull size to intelligence and race.

Definition of Naturalization

• The process by which individuals become citizens of a country where they were not born.

Intent of Intelligence Tests

• Initially created to predict academic performance among students.

H.H. Goddard's Research

• Administered intelligence tests to incoming immigrants at Ellis Island, concluding many scored low, suggesting inherited feeble-mindedness.

Treatment of Mexican Immigrants

• Faced racial ideologies and deportations without facing quotas until the 20th century.

Italian Immigrants' Experience

• Italians were not initially regarded as white and suffered from labor disputes and significant prejudice.

Consequences of the Indian Removal Act

• Led to the tragic Trail of Tears, highlighting the injustices faced by Native populations.