The Spark to Racism

The idea of race can be traced back as far as 1350 B.C. when the ancient Egyptians started classifying humans based on skin color. The way of dealing with the new fangled realization of human variation would die hard. This polygenic characterization can be seen through out history. Even from Linnaeus's taxonomic classification, beyond biological determination, right up to and past the eugenics movement. Categorizing based on appearance, wouldn't be challenged until the 1960's when the study of clinical distribution of individuals polymorphisms was introduced offering and alternative approach.

Since before the Egyptians those interested in human variation focused mainly on visible differences between geographically defined populations. Based on perception, appearance, and opinion, these studies were misleading and very opinionated.

In the 18^th and 19^th century the first scientific attempt to categorized humans into races was Linnaeus taxonomic classification. With four groups of humans Linnaeus gave behavioral and intellectual qualities to each group. Linnaeus gave the least complimentary descriptions to the black Africans. This would have been common for the shared view among white American's, their view was one of superior dominance over all other humans. Each culture thought this true of themselves as well with the aid from Blumenbach, and Retzius' cephalic index. The populations were ranked based on a scale of skin color as well as the size and shape of the head. This ignorance was passed on and eventually added to and creating biological determinism.

Biological determinism is the belief of physical characteristics as well as intelligence, morals, and values with social and economic condition via inheritance. This presents racism, for now persecution and slavery for those who's appearances were different. This way of thinking became the norm. Racism is given form.

The form brought paranoia and the fear of being weakened. This fear was shared by many who were under the impression that natural selection was failing to eliminate inferior individuals. Then came the appearance of Francis Galton. Galton, paranoid and ignorant, wrote many papers for race improvement while lecturing, suggesting government regulation of marriage and family size. He called this approach eugenics.

Eugenics became the norm, through the form of thought. Popular in Europe, America, but mostly in Germany, this idea teased the ignorant mind towards a "Pure Race" goal. Plains of reestablishing a strong and prosperous Germany were in motion. Germany purges itself of the unfit, leading to the Nazi era the consequence for which millions will be killed.

With concerns about the eugenic movement, and the Nazi era, came the Mendelian genetics and Darwin's theories of natural selection. Mendelian genetics and Darwin's theories influenced biological sciences, and evolutionary principles to the study of human variation. This process lead to the study of frequencies within and between the human population. Considering evolutionary principles while studying human variation, brings light in the future. This cripples the crazy way of the 19^th century view on race based solely on observed phenotype.