All Flashcards
Define 'Partus Sequitur Ventrem'.
Legal principle: child's status follows the mother's; key in hereditary slavery.
What is a 'social construct'?
Concept created by society, not biological reality; race is a prime example.
Define 'phenotype'.
Observable physical traits like skin color, influencing racial perceptions.
What is 'hypodescent'?
Assigning a person to the racial group of their socially subordinate parent.
Define the 'one-drop rule'.
Classifying someone with any African ancestry as Black.
What is 'hereditary slavery'?
Slavery that is passed down through generations, often via the mother.
Define 'commodification of reproduction'.
Treating enslaved women's reproductive abilities as a valuable asset.
Define 'white supremacy'.
The belief that white people are superior to people of other races.
What is a 'multiracial identity'?
An identity that encompasses more than one racial background.
Define 'racial hierarchy'.
A system of stratification based on perceived racial differences.
What was the significance of the 1662 Virginia law?
Codified 'partus sequitur ventrem', making slavery hereditary via the mother.
What was the impact of 'Partus Sequitur Ventrem'?
Perpetuated hereditary slavery, commodified enslaved women's reproduction.
What was the purpose of the 'Am I Not a Woman' image?
Abolitionist image challenging the dehumanization of enslaved Black women.
What was the cause and effect of 'partus sequitur ventrem'?
Cause: Desire to perpetuate slavery. Effect: Hereditary slavery and commodification of Black women.
What was the cause and effect of the one-drop rule?
Cause: Desire to maintain racial hierarchies. Effect: Denial of multiracial identities.
What was the cause and effect of the commodification of reproduction?
Cause: Enslaved women's reproductive abilities became a valuable asset to enslavers. Effect: Led to their dehumanization and exploitation.
What was the cause and effect of the social construction of race?
Cause: Systems of oppression like slavery. Effect: Justified and maintained power hierarchies.
What was the cause and effect of phenotype affecting perceptions of racial identity?
Cause: Physical traits like skin color. Effect: Influenced perceptions of racial identity.
What was the cause and effect of hypodescent?
Cause: Socially subordinate parent. Effect: Assigning a person to the racial group of their socially subordinate parent.