Ideas Of Race Flashcards
What do we now know about those ideas of race
That they are pseudo scientific
What were the three idea of race that arose during this time
Scientific racism
Social Darwinism
Eugenics
What is scientific racism
Using science to justify racism
What is social Darwinism
The belief that different races are at different stages of evolution. That black people were inferior to white people
What was eugenics
Positive - the breeding of people thought to be superior
Negative- trying to breed out the people regarded as inferior.
Breeding in the ‘good’ genes and breeding ‘out’ the bad genes.
What did governments around the world use these pseudo scientific ideas for
To make policies and laws
What did scientific racism lead to
It lead to prejudice, discrimination and in extreme cases, genocide against ‘inferior’ races. It also led to eugenics
What is still a major problem of our time and country
Discriminating against people because of their physical characteristics
What is the definition of a genocide
A deliberate attempt to kill specific national, ethnic, racial or religious groups of colour
What happened in 1788
British start first colony in Australia
What happened in 1884
Namibia becomes the german colony of south west africa
What happened in 1901
Formation of the Australian federation
What happened in 1904
Herero uprising against german rule in Namibia
What happened in 1905
Nama uprising against german rule in Namibia
What happened in 1933
Hitter become chancellor of Germany
What a happened from 1939 - 1945
The Second World War
What happened in 1939
Nuremberg trials
What happened in 1990
Human genome project established by US government
What happened in 2008
Australian prime minister apologises to the ‘stolen generation’
What does prejudice mean
A fixed opinion formed without knowing the facts
What were the people who studied other expel and races called
Social scientists
Why were these scientific ‘facts’ pseudo
Because they were not based on proper science, but on prejudice and faulty theories
What did social scientists study
They studied human behaviour, societies and customs
What did social scietists believe about classification
They believed that social factors could be analysed and classified in the same way as data in the natural sciences.
How did the social scientists come up with a way to classify humans
They used methods used by zoologist and botanists to classify animals and plants. These methods were based on physical features
How did social scientists begin to classify people
According to physical features such as: size of skull, shape of lips and nose, the colour of their skin and the texture of their hair
What did social scientists make links between
The physical features and mental ability and reached unscientific conclusions about typical characteristics of each race
What characteristics were given to the wild man
Four-footed, hairy, mute
What characteristics were given to the American
Copper-coloured, hair- black, straight, tick, wide nostrils, harsh face, regulated by customs
What characteristics were given to the European
Fair, sanguine, brawny, hair- yellow, brown, flowing, blue eyes, gentle, governed by laws
What characteristics were given to the asiatic
Sooty, melancholic, black hair, dark eyes, haughty, governed by opinions
What characteristics were given to the african
Black, relaxed, phlegmatic, black frizzled hair, silky skin, flat nose, crafty, indolent governed by caprice
Where did europeans apply the ideas of scientific racism
When they came across the first indigenous people in their new colonial empire.
What did the Europeans do to the indigenous people
They measured their heads and facial features, and made cast of people to display in museums. Some people were actually put on display in an artificially creates native village. This was so that other people could see their simple, primitive way of life compared to the industrialised world.
What did darwin’s theory of evolution suggest
It suggested that, in the animal world, species were continually evolving or changing. He said that the process occurred because of the ability of the better-adapted species to flourish at the expense of the less well-adapted ones.
Who coined the phrase, “ survival of the fittest”
A social scientist, Herbert Spencer
What did spencer and other social scientist do with Darwin’s theory
Hey applied it to humans and called it social Darwinism
What did social Darwinism state
It stated that there was a hierarchy offices and that europeans were the most advanced because of their better developed technology and they had conquered large parts of the world
What did social Darwinism offer an explanation for
The different level of development in technology. They also used it to justify why it was ok to take land away from the indigenous people. They saw it as part of the process of survival of the fittest.
What was misunderstood about Darwin’s theory
Darwin believed that a whole species was constantly adapting to changing environments in the process of evolution. He did no suggest that there were superior societies, cultures or races
How did social darwinists apply this theory to their own cultures
They applied it to mentally and physically disabled people saying that they were inferior and were at a lower level of development.
How did people in Britain apply social Darwinism
They thought that working class people were ;edd able than the paper classes.
How did the Americans apply social Darwinism to their own society
They applied the ideas to capitalism and thought that the fittest, the successful businessman, had triumphed over the unfit, the poor worker. They used this based on difference in ability, not difference in opportunity
What was one of the most extreme cases of social Darwinism being displayed
Ota benga
Who was Ota Benga
He was a Pygmy from Congo who was displayed in a monkey house in New York
What was the more sinister science of the three
Eugenics
Where does the work eugenics come from
It comes from the Greek word for ‘good genes’
Who first developed he concept of eugenics
Francis Galton. He argued that it was wrong to protect the underprivileged and weak people in society because it went against the principles of evolution. Only the good genes should be supported
What did eugenicists believe
They believed that it was possible to produce better human beings by using the right kind of social policies
Who did eugenicists encourage too have children
People who had the right physical and mental characteristics.
Who accepted the theories of eugenics
Many people, even in democracies such a britain, Sweden and the US
What were positive eugenics policies
Promoting and improving health, fitness and nutrition. They hoped to prevent racial decline through better diet, fresh air and regular exercise. They also encouraged women who were considerably healthy to have children. They also set up maternity clinics and family planning programmes to give the women support.
What did governments do to support positive eugenics policies
They built public swimming pools and sports grounds.
What other countries supported eugenics
India, China and Brazil
What did other eugenicists believe (negative)
That it was not enough to just promote a healthy population, but that those with ‘bad’ genes should be prevented from havig children.
How did eugenicists stop people with ‘bad’ genes from having children
It was either suggested that they have a sterilisation or use contraception pills and birth control, or they were forced to have a sterilisation or an abortion. They also prohibited sexual relations among people who the believed were unfit to become parents (mentally ill or criminals)
Where was the highest birth rate
In the poor working class people
What law was passed in britain to improve the population
A law to lock away mentally ill people in institutions to prevent them from having children.
What was done in many states in the US
Forced sterilisation
What countries offered voluntary sterilisation
Switzerland, Denmark and Norway
How were these eugenics applied to race
Scientific racism and social Darwinism led some people to believe that some races were fitter than others.
What did eugenics lead to
It led to the belief that there were inferior and superior humans and that racial mixing caused the tainting of superior races. This led to laws prohibiting sexual contact across races and in extreme cases, to policies of genocide such as the extermination of the Herero in Namibia and the Jews in Nazi Germany
How did the ideas of race affect today’s society
They led to severe abuses of human rights such as forced sterilisation and mass murder
What shows that these ideas of race are false
Genetics
How did geneticists discover that the could trace ancestors
Analysing the structure of our DNA. The mtDNA can only be inherited from the mother and so it is called the ‘Eve gene’
How did geneticists build a picture of how close we are related
They compared the characteristics of the mtDNA of people who have origins around the world.
What did the genetic research show
That there are no genetic differences between people of different races
Who did geneticists figure out we were all descended from
A common ancestor who lived in africa about 200 000 years ago
What happened about 80 000 years ago
The first humans migrated across the strip of. Land near the Red Sea and then moved to other continents.
What happened because people were living in different environments
They developed different traditions, technology and culture.
What is the actual reason people of different races behave differently
Because of our ancestors adapting differently to different environments
What group of people used to have healthy hearts and why did they not anymore
Japanese people had healthy hearts because they have a low-fat diet of fish and rice. However, they too develop unhealthy hearts when they eat junk food. Their health is not a matter of race, but of environment
What was the purpose of the Human Genome Project
To identify all the varieties of DNA (genomes) structures in human populations
How did the Human Genome Project help scientist
It helped them to better understand and treat medical disorders
What did the Human Genome Project show
It showed that the genomes of individual people produce different physical features such as hair and skin colour, but there were no consistent differences between the genomes of people in different races.
What are the indigenous people of Australia called
Aborigines
How long had the aborigines lived in Australia
For at least 70 000 years
How did the aborigines survive
They were hunter-gathered who survived by hunting wild game and collecting food from the environment around them.
Why did the aborigines not farm on the land
There was plenty of food and the climate was very dry, so there was unnecessary and difficult
What did the aborigines do instead of settled farming
They moved around their own region searching for food.
Who were the aborigines have a close link to nature
Because they believed that the landscape had been created by their dead ancestors and still contained their spirits
When did the British set up a colony in Australia
In 1788
What kind of colony did the british set up
A penal colony
What is a penal colony
A colony where people convicted of crimes were sent
Where in Australia was the penal colony set up
In Sydney
What kind of crimes had the people who went to the penal colony in Sydney committed
They were mainly poor people who committed crimes such as stealing or poaching. They committed these crimes to try and survive the social changes during the early industrial revolution
Why else did the British colonise Australia
Because they wanted to stop the French from colonising it
What did the new colonist do to the land
They wanted it to grow its own food and pay for itself so they cleared the trees, ploughed the land and built houses.
What colony was formed when more free settlers arrived
The settlement expanded and formed a new colony called New South Whales
What did New SOuth Whales start keeping
Sheep. They soon started exporting wool and became very wealthy
Where were other penal colonies established
On the island of Van Diemen’s land and at the Swan River
What is Van Diemen’s land now called
Tasmania
What is Swan River now called
Perth
Where were other colonies set up
In South Australia, Victoria and Queensland
What is the capital of South Australia
Adelaide
What is the capital of Victoria
Melbourne
What is the capital of Queensland
Brisbane
When and where was gold discovered in Australia
In the region of Victoria inland from Melbourne in the 1850’s
Where did miners come from in search of wealth
They came from Britain, Ireland and China
What became one of the largest and wealthiest cities in the british empire
Melbourne
When did the British colonies join together
In 1901
What did all the colonies form
They formed the Australian federation
What was the Australian federation
A domain with self-government within the British empire.
What kind of impact did the colonies have f the aboriginal
They had a very negative one
How did Sydney treat the aboriginals
They refused to recognise that the aboriginals had any rights to the land.
What happened to the aboriginals now that they had no land
They couldn’t continue to live as hunter-gatherers. They had to depend on the settlers for food many worked for the settlers as herdsmen for very low wages. Many became poor and died
How did most of the aboriginals die
They died from disease brought by the europeans because they did not have immunity to it. The main disease was small pox
Did the aborigines resist the taking away of land
Yes, some did by attacking farmers or their livestock.
How did the colonist fight back against the aborigine who were trying to get their land back
They shot at them and in some regions there was ongoing guerrilla warfare
Where was there ongoing guerrilla warfare
In Tasmania
Why do some historians believe what was done to the aborigines was a genocide
Because it was the killing of so many aborigines by disease, loss of access to food and land and by armed conflict
What do other people say the reason for so many aborigines dying was
Because their society could not adapt to change and that it was not a deliberate policy
How many aboriginals were living in Australia when the british started colonising
Between half a million to a million
How many aboriginals were left by the 20th century
Only 60 000
What were the deaths of the aboriginals mainly caused by
Disease and conflict with the settlers
What did most of the Australian settlers believe the cause of the aboriginals deaths was
Racial factors. They thought that the only reason they had survived was because they were isolated from the rest of the world
What did the british believe about their race
Following the theories of social Darwinism, they believed that they were the superior race
What were the theories of social Darwinism
That human races are competing and that only the fittest race survived
What did the settlers believe about the aborigines
That they were inferior and would soon die out because they could not compete with the developing society around them.
How did the settlers see the racial decay of the aboriginal society
They saw unemployment, dependence on alcohol and refusal ti settle in one place
How did the settlers see what the aboriginals as a form of racial suicide
The aboriginals refused or were unable to adapt to settler society. The settlers saw this as racial suicide
What were the three groups of thinking about what to do about the aboriginals
Put them in reserves to protect them
Put them in reserves to keep them away from the settlers
Let them integrate with the settlers
What did the majority of people think should be done about the aboriginal
That they would set aside a reserve where the aboriginals would be forced to stay so that they were separate from the settlers
What did the minority of the settlers think should be done about the aboriginals
They either thought that they should be put in reserves, but to protect them, not to keep them separate, or they thought that they should be allowed to integrate with the settlers
What kind of laws did the government pass
Laws that gave them complete control over the aboriginals’ lives
What were the laws
•All aboriginals and half-casts could be forcibly moved and kept in a reserve
•they were not allowed to vote, drink alcohol, carry guns or own dogs
• marriages between whites and aboriginals needed special permission from a government minister
•white superintendents in charge of the reserves had complete control of every aspect of the aboriginals lives:
- they could search their homes, read their letters, confiscate their property, confine their children to dormitories, ban their dances and other traditional customs, and expel them to another reserve. They were called the protectors of aborigines
Where these laws strictly kept
No, many aborigines remained outside the reserves. However, most aborigines were denied their civil rights and suffered from white prejudice and discrimination. They weren’t allowed to live in the same parts of town or use the facilities as white Australians.
What was clear by the 1930’s
That the aborigines were not going to die out. Many were living in poverty and neglect
What did the aborigines start doing in the 1930’s
They started establishing national organisations to protest against the bad treatment against them.
When did these policies and attitudes begin to change
Only after the Second World War
What was one of the first laws passed when the Australian federation was formed
The immigration restriction act
What did the immigration restriction act do
It gave the government the power to refuse entry into Australia to any immigrant.
How did the government prevent people from coming in
They demanded that the immigrants take a dictation test in any European language chosen be the authorities
Who did the government want to stop from coming in
Asian and especially Chinese
How did the government justify not letting immigrants in
The Australian Labour Party argued that they took away jobs from white Australians
What was the policy of stopping immigrants from coming into Australia
It was called the ‘white Australia’ policy
What was the problem with the with the immigration restriction act
They needed immigrants fro its economy to grow.
What was the fear in the early 20th century
That the white propulsion was not growing fast enough.
What measures were put in place so that the white population would grow more
Women were given special maternity allowances to encourage them to have larger families.
What did the Australian government do when maternity allowances didn’t work
They tried to encourage immigrants to go to Australia
Which british immigrants on particular did they want
They wanted people who were willing to work as labourers on farms and as domestic servants
Why did the British emigrants not move to Australia
Because other couriers such as the US and Canada offered better opportunities for them.
When did the more British people start immigrating to Australia
When world war 2 ended. They recruited ex-servicemen and their families who wanted a better life.
How many British emmigrants went to Australia between 1919-1922
About 35 000
What was the problem with the 35 000 emigrants that moved to Australia
They didn’t want to work on farms or as domestic workers
What schemes did the government develop
Schemes to recruit children from britain
What were most of the children from britain
They were orphans who were living in children’s homes in britain and hoped for a better life in Australia
How many boys and girls were taken form britain to work in Australia between 1922 and 1927
About 14 000 boys and 2000 girls.
Where were the boys and girls housed and trained
In institutions. The boys were sent to work on farms and the girls entered domestic service
When did these schemes decline
During the Great Depression and then grew again during the Second World War
Where the stories of the child immigrants well know
No, but recently, some of the kids (now older) started telling stories about abuse and neglect.
What did the Australian government order in 2000 about the complains
They ordered an investigation
What did some people say about the scenes
That it gave them opportunities in life
What did other feels bout the schemes
They felt isolated and exploited
What was the report called
It was called the lost innocents
What did the ‘ lost innocents’ recommend
They recommended that funding be given to the ‘children’ so that they could trace their families in britain
What is the most striking example of eugenics in Australia
The stolen generation
What does the stolen genteartion refer to
More than 100 000 children who were forcibly removed from their parents
Over how many years were children being taken away from their parent
From 1910 to 1970
What race were the children
They were mixed race usualy with an aboriginal mother and a white father
Around what ages were they separated from their mothers
Around ages 4 to 5
Where were the children taken to
To white Cristian families, missionaries or state orphanages. Some were fostered or adopted
Why were they not allowed contact with their families
The purpose was to assimilate the children into the white Australian society
What were the children trained to be
Domestic and farm workers so that they would blend in with the white population
Did this policy apply everywhere
No
Who was it mainly promoted by
Two government officials: Cecil Cook and Aubergine Neville
Who was Cecil Cook
He was chief protector of aborigines in the Northern Territory
Who was A.O. Neville
He was chief protector of aborigines is Western Australia.
What did both Cook and Neville do
They ruthlessly enforced the removal of mixed-race children from their mothers. They insisted that these children could only marry white Australians (and if not possible other half-casts)
What were the children from a half-cast mother and white/ half-cast father classified as
Whites
How did Neville justify what he was doing
He said it was necessary to do it to bread out the colour
What happened in the government institutions administered by Neville
Many children lived there and their education and access to clothing and money was controlled. He refused to allow the girls to socialise with anyone else other that white/ half-casts.
How did the childre see Neville
Some saw him as their benefactor, while others were afraid of him
What did civil rights activists think about Neville
They saw him as their main enemy
What were children told about their parents
That their parents didn’t want them or that they were dead
What were the conditions like where the children were kept
They were very poor. They were kept under strict discipline and some were sexually abused.
What did their education prepare the children for
Manual labour
What did the government set up in 1995
A commission of enquiry into the effects of the forced removals on peoples lives
What did the commission of enquiry conclude
That although the policy had stated to be in the best interest of the children, it damaged their lives and the families lives.
What did the aboriginal children loose
They lost their culture, language, heritage, land and identity and they felt isolated
Who was the Australian prime minister in 2008
Minister Kevin Rudd
What did Rudd do
He apologised in parliament to the stolen generation. It was a recognition of some of the aim that eugenicists thinking and policies had brought to the indigenous people in Australia
