Other countries have looked at this rule with a wary eye. The one drop rule is unique to the united states and does not appear in any other nation in the world. The view that reality cannot be separated from the way a culture makes sense. Ed more general treatments of the biology and sociology of race include.
South, also in other states, in the 20th centurydecades after the civil war, emancipation, and the reconstruction era. The legacy of the one drop rule is still with us even though it is no longer official policy. American attitudes toward the negro, 15501812, was. The one drop rule, which evolved over the course of the nineteenth century, was not codified as a legal principle until 1910, although a focus on blood and genealogy by the end of the eighteenth century certainly established the basis for it. However, the question of black is more of a socioeconomic and political one. Most americans seem unaware that this definition of blacks is extremely unusual in other countries. The one drop rule helps explain what about barack obama. Suffix meaning centered around, focused around, taking the perspective of. For readers unfamiliar with the one drop rule, this refers to how u. The human stain 2003 is an excellent example of the implications of the one drop rule that only people of african decedent have historically faced in america. Racial tensions and living in a colorblind society 227. This practice reflects the traditional one drop rule in the united states that defines someone as black if she or he has at least one drop of black blood, and that was used in the antebellum south to keep the slave population as large as possible staples, 2005 staples, b. The onedrop rule is a social and legal principle of racial classification that was historically.
It details the great lengths the main character went through, out of fear of facing discrimination, to avoid having his african heritage revealed. Instead of using the category mulattoes, the bureau adopted the one drop rule. Definition of the one drop rule the one drop rule, an idiosyncrasy of the united states, was based on. In this post we elaborate on the history of this rule, how it underscores the social construction of race, and how this rule provides an historical basis for intertwining racial and sexual inequality.
Which physical characteristic is considered an important biological adaptation. James davis is professor emeritus of sociology at illinois state. Books that are by african and native authors or of great interest to our community. This practice reflects the traditional one drop rule in the united states that defines someone as black if she or he has at least one drop of black blood, and that was used in the antebellum south to keep the slave population as large as possible wright, 1993. Other people in the same or similar situation have not reacted favorably. This practice reflects the traditional one drop rule in the united states that defines someone as black if she or he has at least one drop of black blood and that was used in the antebellum south to keep the slave population as large as possible wright, 1993. What african americans need to realise is that by sticking to the one drop rule as a way to classify race, you are effectively watering down the black race. Harvard psychologists have found that the centuriesold onedrop rule assigning minority status to mixedrace individuals appears to live on. The one drop rule was made law, though primarily in the u. The onedrop rule has long been taken for granted throughout the united states by whites and blacks alike, and the federal courts have taken judicial notice of it as being a matter of common. The eugenicist madison grant of new york wrote in his book, the passing of the great race 1916. James davis is a retired professor of sociology at illinois state university.
One drop and racial categories for readers unfamiliar with the one drop rule, this refers to how u. The language was first used by the government in the fourteenth census in 1920 when the color line was redefined by the census bureau. As my book emphasizes, a major consequence of the onedrop rule has been the. Ultimately, one drop ends up being an amazing example of how to investigate one s ancestry and grapple with the results. For instance, sociologists have explained repeatedly that recent illegal. For a vigorous critique of this book, see victoria hattam, the 1964 civil. The onedrop rule is a social and legal principle of racial classification that was historically prominent in the united states in the 20th century. The one drop rule became pervasive and courts ruled on it as a principle of law, particularly in the confiscation of property, or in such codified exclusions as denying legal redress to persons of color.
The onedrop rule, also known as hypodescent by anthropologists, states that any person who has even a drop of black blood would be. Psychology and sociology urban books, business books and. Questions about the future, sociology, and the plan of this book. The one drop rule is defined as one black ancestor 5 generations back. It is rare, in my experience, for an academic book written by a social scientist to be as interesting and exciting as a piece of fiction.
James davis is professor emeritus of sociology at illinois state university. This practice reflects the traditional one drop rule in the united states that defines someone as black if she or he has at least one drop of black blood. Browse a large library of history books, urban books, great books for africanamericans and more. Thus, the one drop rule was bornany one possessing even one drop of african blood was black. The book is part of her larger, multiplatform project called 1ne drop a reference to the onedrop rule from the early 1900s that held that anyone with 2 of african black blood was black. Race and multiraciality in brazil and the united states. Analogous to racism and sexism, a system of cultural, institutional, and individual discrimination against people with impairments. Reginald daniel daniels book is a careful and convincingly argued exposition on race and race mixture in the usa and brazil. For later generations of white ethnics, something not constraining but easily expressed, with no risks of stigma and. The meaning of race and ethnicity 2012 book archive. I found it interesting that the author embraced her one drop of african ancestry with little to no distress.
The persistent denial of nonafrican roots of african americans and the minority roots of whites is a legacy of such racist ideology. Application of this rule aimed to keep the white population pure and lumped anyone with black blood into one category. And that ensured that every person who had at least one drop would be. Todays post ironically concentrates on a group in polk county, ohio who for generations have been white in appearance, but profoundly and proudly black. Chapter 9 race sociology social science flashcards. Racial whitening, or whitening branqueamento, is an ideology that was widely accepted in brazil between 1889 and 1914, as the solution to the negro problem. If discrimination has proceeded on the basis of the one drop rule, so too should. This is the first comprehensive study of the socalled one drop rule that defines as black any person having at least one black ancestor.
The one drop rule was a social construction that emerged discursively in us history. The one drop rule and modern multiracials sociology of. Aida hurtado, american journal of sociology davis has given us a brilliant and informative history of the fateful policy commonly called the rule of hypodescent the one drop rule and the impact it has had psychologically, socially, economically, and politically on africanamerican history. The onedrop rule developed out of antimiscegenation laws because any offspring of a mixedrace union would be categorized as black. In that post we suggested a connection between this case and the one drop rule, an historical justification for racebased slavery in the u. The history of the one drop rule is marked by two major interventions by the powerful in jurisprudential thinking. In his book evicted 2016, matthew desmond explored the soaring housing prices in american cities. In the 20th century, it was also associated with the rise of eugenics and ideas of racial purity. On average, a person could be, say, 43 percent black and still be visually perceived as white.
Historical origins of the onedrop racial rule in the united states. However, racial whitening specific to brazil also encompasses the perception of individuals as. It asserted that any person with even one ancestor of subsaharan african ancestry one drop of black blood 1 2 is considered black negro or colored in historical terms. Shifting the lens on race seeks to challenge narrow perceptions of blackness as both an identity and lived reality. The one drop rule is destructive to african americans. Featuring the perspectives of 60 contributors representing 25 different countries and countries of origin, and combining candid narratives with simple, yet striking, portraiture, this book provides living testimony to. Encyclopedia of social problems sage publications inc. Phsychology and sociology urban books, business books. Frank was, at most, one fourth black, but to impose social, economic, and political restrictions on people like him, the law applied the one drop rule and said he was black. A historical colloquial term in the united states for the social classification as black of individuals with any african ancestry. The socalled one drop rule, mandating that anyone with any black ancestry no matter how insignificant be viewed as black, did not become widespread until decades later. Sociology 355 the meaning of difference part1 flashcards. Who is black one nations definition edition 1 by f.
The one drop rule was first enacted in tennessee in 1910 and virginia in 1924. The meaning of race and ethnicity social sci libretexts. He is the author of numerous books, including who is black. The onedrop rule as it was applied in the united states dictated that any person with any amount of african ancestry be considered as black regardless of their percentage of black blood. Now broyard is back in the news with the appearance of this family history and memoir by his daughter. In his interview with conley, jennan read describes the differences between arab, an ethnicity, and muslim, a religious categorization. James davis this is a very wellwritten book that communicates complex ideas with clarity and interest. One drop is fascinating, wellresearched, and wellwritten. State courts have generally upheld the onedrop rule, but some have limited the definition to one thirtysecond or onesixteenth or oneeighth black ancestry, or made other limited exceptions for persons with both indian and black ancestry. In the united states, there exists the one drop rule, which has been recognized by courts and legislation. This one drop rule has meant that anyone with a visually discernable trace of african, or what. The encyclopedia of social problems offers an interdisciplinary perspective into many social issues that are a continuing concern in our lives, whether we confront them on a personal, local, regional, national, or global level. The one drop rule measured the amount of black blood that black people had in society. One drop, bliss broyard tells us, takes its title from the onedrop rule, which classified as black any americans with the tiniest fraction just one drop of black blood.