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Who began to popularize the ideas of race in Europe?

Who began to popularize the ideas of race in Europe?

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Who began to popularize the ideas of race in Europe? How did these ideas fit into the belief in the "Chain of Being”?
The supposed character of these "races" could be used to justify almost anything, including packing thousands of captives below decks in the middle passage. According to the Bishop of Rochester, speaking to the House of Lords in 1799... "There is a great peculiarity in the negro constitution: that it is particularly conducive to the health of the negro to be close shut up in foul air. This is death to us white men as we know...but for your negro, it is the reverse. Keep him hot enough he will always do well; and the better, the more you try to stifle him..."(Yeboah, 1988, p 44) The Enlightenment with its rapid development of a range of different sciences was characterized by a growing racial identification among Europeans. Traditional usage had often referred to the French Race, the English Race etc., where race was synonymous with nationality. Now however, Europeans and those of European descent began increasingly to refer to themselves as "White." Sciences that ranged from cranial measurements, to facial angles, to linguistics claimed to show the physical, intellectual and cultural perfection of Whites as a group. The standards by which all people were to be measured were the proportions of classical Greek sculpture. The farther one strayed from this model, the less "White" one became. As usual, while Europe developed theory, America led in practice. The early colonists had first assumed that the Native Americans were people like themselves. They explained the slightly darker skin tones of the Americans as the result of their spending so much time unclothed in the sun, and the habit of rubbing bear grease and plant dyes on their skin. "Their swarthiness is the sun's livery, for they are born fair," insisted Massachusetts settler, William Wood in 1634. (Vaughan, 1982, p 929) In both the French and British colonies, therefore, conversion and "civilizing" of the Indians was a major goal. But as the natives continued to resist Christianization and fought back against the encroachment of the settlers on their land, that idea gradually gave way to the notion that these too were a different kind of people. They were first described as "tawny" but more and more by the middle 1700's the preferred term was "Red." (Vaughan, 1982) Linnaeus had simply maut tummon Rhowledge
Transcribed Image Text:The supposed character of these "races" could be used to justify almost anything, including packing thousands of captives below decks in the middle passage. According to the Bishop of Rochester, speaking to the House of Lords in 1799... "There is a great peculiarity in the negro constitution: that it is particularly conducive to the health of the negro to be close shut up in foul air. This is death to us white men as we know...but for your negro, it is the reverse. Keep him hot enough he will always do well; and the better, the more you try to stifle him..."(Yeboah, 1988, p 44) The Enlightenment with its rapid development of a range of different sciences was characterized by a growing racial identification among Europeans. Traditional usage had often referred to the French Race, the English Race etc., where race was synonymous with nationality. Now however, Europeans and those of European descent began increasingly to refer to themselves as "White." Sciences that ranged from cranial measurements, to facial angles, to linguistics claimed to show the physical, intellectual and cultural perfection of Whites as a group. The standards by which all people were to be measured were the proportions of classical Greek sculpture. The farther one strayed from this model, the less "White" one became. As usual, while Europe developed theory, America led in practice. The early colonists had first assumed that the Native Americans were people like themselves. They explained the slightly darker skin tones of the Americans as the result of their spending so much time unclothed in the sun, and the habit of rubbing bear grease and plant dyes on their skin. "Their swarthiness is the sun's livery, for they are born fair," insisted Massachusetts settler, William Wood in 1634. (Vaughan, 1982, p 929) In both the French and British colonies, therefore, conversion and "civilizing" of the Indians was a major goal. But as the natives continued to resist Christianization and fought back against the encroachment of the settlers on their land, that idea gradually gave way to the notion that these too were a different kind of people. They were first described as "tawny" but more and more by the middle 1700's the preferred term was "Red." (Vaughan, 1982) Linnaeus had simply maut tummon Rhowledge
The Great Chain of Being and the Beginnings of "Racialization" From the Middle Ages to the Enlightenment, Christian Europe had explained the natural world using the idea of The Great Chain of Being. According to this belief, God had created all the plants and the animals in a chain from lower to higher. Lower beings were created to serve higher beings. So animals used plants and ate lesser animals, and "men" reigned over animals just as God reigned over us. A major problem that caused no end of difficulty to the theologians and philosophers, were the gaps in the chain. While there were supposedly even gradations among lower animals, the theory called out for something to fill in the chain between people and monkeys. In fact, when the first chimp was brought to Britain in 1699 its human qualities were greatly exaggerated to try and make it fit the bill as a "link" between people and animals. (Gould, 1985, p 263- 280) Another Englishman, Dr. William Petty had already come up with a "better" idea. In a paper to the Royal Society in 1677 he made the case that so called "savages" were a permanently distinct and inferior species of humanity, located between (white) men and animals on the Great Chain. (Fredrickson, 1981, p 11) Thus it would follow, that they would be destined to be commanded and used by their betters. Petty's idea languished for more than 50 years before the great Swedish biologist Charles Linnaeus revived it. The first edition of his General System of Nature (1735) said little about human variation, but the second edition (1740) established four basic colour types in descending order, White Europeans, Red Americans, Yellow Asians and Black Africans. By the 10th edition of his work Linnaeus had attributed character traits to each race. Among other things, "White" Europeans were gentle and inventive, "Red" Americans obstinate, "Yellow" Asians melancholy and covetous, and "Black" Africans indolent and negligent. (Vaughan, 1982, p 945-946) The supposed character of these "races" could be used to justify almost anything, including packing thousande of cantivoc belew decks in the
Transcribed Image Text:The Great Chain of Being and the Beginnings of "Racialization" From the Middle Ages to the Enlightenment, Christian Europe had explained the natural world using the idea of The Great Chain of Being. According to this belief, God had created all the plants and the animals in a chain from lower to higher. Lower beings were created to serve higher beings. So animals used plants and ate lesser animals, and "men" reigned over animals just as God reigned over us. A major problem that caused no end of difficulty to the theologians and philosophers, were the gaps in the chain. While there were supposedly even gradations among lower animals, the theory called out for something to fill in the chain between people and monkeys. In fact, when the first chimp was brought to Britain in 1699 its human qualities were greatly exaggerated to try and make it fit the bill as a "link" between people and animals. (Gould, 1985, p 263- 280) Another Englishman, Dr. William Petty had already come up with a "better" idea. In a paper to the Royal Society in 1677 he made the case that so called "savages" were a permanently distinct and inferior species of humanity, located between (white) men and animals on the Great Chain. (Fredrickson, 1981, p 11) Thus it would follow, that they would be destined to be commanded and used by their betters. Petty's idea languished for more than 50 years before the great Swedish biologist Charles Linnaeus revived it. The first edition of his General System of Nature (1735) said little about human variation, but the second edition (1740) established four basic colour types in descending order, White Europeans, Red Americans, Yellow Asians and Black Africans. By the 10th edition of his work Linnaeus had attributed character traits to each race. Among other things, "White" Europeans were gentle and inventive, "Red" Americans obstinate, "Yellow" Asians melancholy and covetous, and "Black" Africans indolent and negligent. (Vaughan, 1982, p 945-946) The supposed character of these "races" could be used to justify almost anything, including packing thousande of cantivoc belew decks in the
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