begin+to+notice+race


 * When did the idea of race originate and when did people begin to notice race?**


 * What is race?**

"RACE: Any of the major biological divisions of mankind, distinguished by color and texture of hair, color of skin and eyes, stature, bodily proportions, etc: many ethnologists now consider that there are only three primary divisions, the Caucasian (loosely ‘white race ), Negroid (loosely ‘black race ) and Mongoloid (loosely, ‘yellow race ), with various subdivisions: the term has acquired so many unscientific connotations that in this sense it is often replaced in scientific usage by ‘ethnic stock or ‘group .” -Webster's New World Dictionary

Race - "The term race or racial group usually refers to the categorization of humans into populations or groups on the basis of various sets of heritable characteristics." -Wikipedia

Race - "a group of persons related by common descent or heredity; any of the traditional divisions of humankind, the commonest being the Caucasian, Mongoloid, and Negro, characterized by supposedly distinctive and universal physical characteristics." -Dictionary.com


 * How many races are there?**

Scientists say there are nine geographical races. These include European (Europeans, North American whites, Middle Easterners,) African (Africans, Afro-Americans, Haitians, Jamaicans,) East Indian (Indians, Sri Lankans, Bengals,) Asian (Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Phillipinos,) Melanesians (Fiji, New Guinea,) Polynesians (Hawaiians, Samoans,) Micronesians, Australian Aborigines, and American Indians (Cherokee, Blackfoot, Lumbee, and Eskimos.)

The Bible, however, classifies people into three races. These races are based off of the three sons of Noah. Each son represents a different race. Shem represents the Mongoloids, Ham represents the Negroids, and Japheth represents the Caucasoids. However, Australoid types are occasionally listed as being a fourth race.

The [|US Census Bureau] defined six different races in the [|2000 census].
 * How does the United States Census Bureau view race?**

"'White' refers to people having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa. It includes people who indicated their race or races as 'White' or wrote in entries such as Irish, German, Italian, Lebanese, Near Easterner, Arab, or Polish."

"'Black or African American' refers to people having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa. It includes people who indicated their race or races as 'Black, African Am., or Negro,' or wrote in entries such as African American, Afro American, Nigerian, or Haitian."

"'American Indian and Alaska Native' refers to people having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America), and who maintain tribal affiliation or community attachment. It includes people who indicated their race or races by marking this category or writing in their principal or enrolled tribe, such as Rosebud Sioux, Chippewa, or Navajo."

“'Asian' refers to people having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent. It includes people who indicated their race or races as 'Asian Indian,' 'Chinese,' 'Filipino,' 'Korean,' 'Japanese,' 'Vietnamese,' or 'Other Asian,' or wrote in entries such as Burmese, Hmong, Pakistani, or Thai."

“'Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander' refers to people having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands. It includes people who indicated their race or races as 'Native Hawaiian,' 'Guamanian or Chamorro,' 'Samoan,' or 'Other Pacific Islander,' or wrote in entries such as Tahitian, Mariana Islander, or Chuukese."

“'Some other race' was included in Census 2000 for respondents who were unable to identify with the five Office of Management and Budget race categories. Respondents who provided write-in entries such as Moroccan, South African, Belizean, or a Hispanic origin (for example, Mexican, Puerto Rican, or Cuban) are included in the Some other race category."


 * When did the idea of race originate and when was it noticed?**

Race is more of a modern idea. In ancient societies, people weren't judged based on physical appearances. Judgments were based off your religion, social status, class, or language. Society and government have created the idea of race and how we view it. The idea of race is completely opinionated. Mexicans were classified as white until 1930. If they were considered white before, then why was there a need to change? In the South during the Civil War, African Americans were classified according to "blood" ancestry. The amount differed from state to state however. One fourth, one sixteenth, one half; it changed in whatever state you were in. Historian [|James Horton] once referred to this topic by saying, "you could cross a state line and literally, legally change race."

Race was not something that people noticed in ancient times. Although many sources say that race began to get noticed when slavery started, that is completely false. Race may have gotten noticed around the times of slavery //in America//, but slavery existed long before that. Early slavery was rarely based off skin color. People were enslaved because of debt, war, or conquest. The word "slave" was actually derived from prisoners of Slavonic tribes that were captured by the Germans during the Middle Ages. Skin color was never a deciding factor for anything in ancient times. The idea of race most likely generated when the United States were founded, and African Americans were enslaved.

In colonial America, people created race. Once the founding fathers wrote up documents stating "all men are created equal," they needed to be able to back that up. People questioned having slaves if everyone was equal. To justify this, the idea that blacks were inferior was created. Society changed the definition of race to suit their intents and purposes. By saying other races African Americans, Native Americans, Mexicans) were inferior to whites, whites could do anything they wanted to these people and have what they considered to be valid reasoning for their actions.

No matter what, people will always see what they want to see. Whether or not they base their opinions of people off of physical appearance is up to them. Race is inevitable. We created race, and because it has turned into such an issue, we will never be able to ignore it.

-get a more biblical sense of race
 * What I would like to expand on:**

AnnBibWeaver