History of the United States I / Unit 12 USH1 1683 short lesson, about 20 seconds
The Colour Hierarchy
Captions available
The idea
Most urban free Black people were lighter-skinned women, reflecting unions between White men and Black women.
In practice
Terms recorded by the anchor for degrees of ancestry, used to rank people by descent.
Where people slip
Lighter-skinned Black people often despised darker counterparts, internalising the racist hierarchy imposed on all of them.
Your place on the trail
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