Page 23 - Microsoft Word - resource book.doc

This thing Called

WHITE

he term white emerged as a classifi cation of
people during the 1700s in the British colonies
Tof North America. Europeans were immigrating
to “the New World” for many reasons, some seek-
ing prosperity while many
people were escaping “Whiteness
persecution, particularly is a constantly
religious and ethnic con-
fl ict. As Europeans arrived shifting
in America, groups such as boundary
Germans, Dutch, English,
French etc. were brought separating
into close proximity, most those who
of them for the fi rst time.
are entitled to

In the colonies, the have certain
European settlers in power
were under considerable privileges from
stress, attempting to main- those whose
tain control of their Afri-
can Slaves and their white exploitation
indentured servants, while and
trying to protect them-
selves from the perceived vulnerability
threat from Native Ameri- to violence is
cans. At this time, poor
white indentured servants justifi ed by
were building alliances their not being
and relationships with
African slaves due to their white.”
similar state of oppression.

The term white was defi ned as anyone without a
drop on African or Indian blood. The category white
was created as a political construct that was used as an
organizing tool to unite Europeans in order to con-
solidate strength, increasing their ability to maintain
control and dominance over the Native Americans
and African slaves, which in many places outnum-
bered Europeans. “Whiteness is a constantly shifting
boundary separating those who are entitled to have
These maps show the amount of land that Native Americans certain privileges from those whose exploitation and
controlled over the passage of time – detailing the massive scale
of expropriation justifi ed by “Manifest Destiny.” vulnerability to violence is justifi ed by their not being
white.” 16
12 The Construction of Race & Racism The Construction of Race & Racism 13