Understanding Ethnicity Theory

• Ethnicity is a way to approach race that highlights cultural aspects.
• It is the first social scientific way to conceptualize race based on factors like attitudes, beliefs, religion, language, lifestyle, and group identity.
• Race is seen as a preference, rather than a fixed trait.
• European perspective dictates the determination of race, emphasizing white people
• Ethnicity theory suggests that race is about culture and assimilation.
• Pre-1940's ethnicity theory challenged biological ideas of race.
• Assimilation-oriented view: differences would disappear into "American" culture, based on the melting pot theory.
• Cultural pluralism: American culture could be made of different cultures while still giving dominance to European culture.
• The ethnicity theory seems positive but still focuses on European identities.
• Immigrants were expected to assimilate into European identity or posed no real threat to that specific identity.
• 1940s-1960s: A shift to a "common sense" understanding of race occurred.
• Race still revolved around culture, with certain groups having potential for incorporation, but for others (Blacks) there was pathological attachment to culture.
• Racial groups got the same identities as the first immigrants.
• Post 1960s became a defense of liberal individualism.
• The country was built on racial exclusion such as the Native Americans, Blacks, and Latinos.
• Modern ethnicity theory: race is just culture so issues among racial groups are from their culture pathologies or their refusal to assimilate.
• Culture is weaponized to assign responsibility for issues faced by racial groups, rather than acknowledging the impact of skin color/attributes on opportunities and outcomes.
• According to ethnic theories, racism consists of individual attitudes and beliefs.
• Ethnic theories of race disregarded exclusion, privilege, and violence.
• The "bootstraps problem" assumes that everyone in the US has the same opportunities regardless of race.
• The "they all look alike" model assumes culture inside non-white racial groups is the same.
• The "once is not enough" problem refers to multiple generations for immigrants to assimilate.
• Class theories offer a perspective on race through the lens of economic relationships.
• Consists of market, stratification and class conflict.
• Market relations says: racial inequality is caused by "irrational prejudice" and monopolistic practices.
• Stratification theory says: resources should be distributed the same between all races.
• Class conflict theory says: Race is impacted by class cohesion or lack thereof, and leads to weaker bargaining or more splintering in the group.
• All three theories see racial inequality as a defining feature.
• Race goes beyond simple inequality.

Slavery, the Civil War, and the Lost Cause

• Slave supporters say, "back then, they were just a product of their time"; some stood up and spoke out against the majority so its more conforming to the majority.
• The case of John Punch in 1640 was the first official approval of slavery in the US colonies.
• Punch was an indentured servant who fled with two Europeans, breaking his contract.
• The Europeans received extended servitude while Punch was assigned servitude for life.
• This pattern gave poor whites minor benefits to differentiate them from Blacks/non-whites.
• It lessened the chance of class solidarity.
• Maternal inheritance of permanent servitude was also established after the case of Elizabeth Key.
• Key was biracial, her father was white and a member of the Virginia legislature.
• She wed an indentured servant and sued for her freedom based on her father being free and because she was a Christian.
• It originally was against english common law to enslave a christian.
• They changed to law to be based on the woman to continue the lines of slavery.
• Bacon's rebellion highlights the potential threat from Black - white alliances.
• Uprising by farmers led by Bacon, who wanted to seize more native american lands bordering Virginia.
• Governor Berkeley prohibited this so Bacon wanted to retaliate.
• The rebels would burn Jamestown but ultimately be defeated.
• Black servants and slaves were promised freedom if they fought with Bacon.
• After the defeat of the rebellion, laws would be introduced to differentiate Blacks and whites.
• The idea was to lessen the likelihood of another cross-racial coalition.
• The Virginia House of Burgesses (legislative body) restricted citizenship.
• Only europeans receive free land in 1862
• 1691 white first time to describe citizens
• 1705 the virgina slaves codes are passed.
• Masters couldn't be held accountable for the deaths of slaves.
• Slavery would be protected under the Constitution, including protections to slave holding states.
• 1808 clause article 1 section 9.
• 3/5ths clause.
• Fugitive slave clause.
• The 1808 and fugitive slave clause protected the institution of slavery but did so to equal representation in the Senate.
• The 3/5ths clause allowed slave holding states disproportionate representation in the house despite the 8 antislavery laws being passed bewteen the 1800-1806.
• All were killed in the senate.
• By 1831 the US was responsible for 50% of the worlds cotton production.
• Slave labor was cheaper than paid labor which kept it thriving.
• By 1806 80% of the US GDP was tied to the institution of slavery.
• Cotton production would drive the Industrial Revolution by helping to give birth to factories in the North.
• The southern economy was linked to slavery and the nomination of Abraham Lincoln stoked fears that the abolitionist.

White by Law

• In the U.S., collective consciousness was shaped through the exclusion of nonwhites from citizenship.
• Roger smiths (1997) argues that this inegalitarianism promoted loyalty to the state more than a civic vision of America would have.
• America was "your” country if you were a white European.
• This also created a sense of kinship across class lines or a hierarchy.
• Blacks could be citizens even prior to the passage of the 14th Amendment but only in the North.
• In northern states, distinctions were drawn between black citizenship and white citizenship.
• Only whites truly enjoyed full rights.
• Crandall v State of Connecticut (1834): citizenship was found to be illegal because “free black people.
• In the South, blacks were property and had no rights.
• Affirmed by the Dred Scott v. Sanford case (1857).
• U.S. v. Wong Kim Ark (1898): children of non-citizens acquire citizenship upon their birth on U.S. soil.
• Native Americans did not acquire citizenship at birth.
• Elk v. Wilkins 1884: Native american owed allegiance to their tribe first .
• 1924-then extended to N.A.
• The westward expansion of the US leads to the Mexican-American War (1846–48). In part based on the notion of Manifest Destiny.
• Americans had expanded into mexican territory long before it conquered.
• The US annexes what would be California, Nevada, Utah, and significant parts of New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado from Mexico as a result of the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
• In re Rodriguez (1897) ‘white by treaty’.
• The treaty of guadalupe hidalgo guaranteed citizenship and rights for mexicans who chose to stay in the newly acquired territories.
• Economic incentive to extend citizenship to those already on the land because it would be harder to have someone learn the land from scratch.
• Naturalization: the ability of non-natives to become citizens after birth.
• Congress alone decides who can or cannot naturalize based on the Constitution's jurisdiction.
• 1790-1870= only whites can naturalize.
• After the civil war, both blacks and whites could naturalize.
• All of the prerequisite cases were based on individuals arguing for their classification as white.
• Despite the seemingly simplicity of race in early America, it really wasnt that simple.
• Yes, there was a one-drop rule for African blood but this did not apply to Native American blood.
• Marriage between John Rolfe and Pocohantas
• Rolfe married for land and their descendants were considered white.
• Racist ideas do not lead to oppression oppression leads to racist ideas.
• Colonialism and slavery helped to produce and reproduce racist ideas.
• Seeing others held as second-class citizens or property reinforces these ideas.
• Visual learners.