Are some races genetically predetermined to be smarter or stronger? What are the arguments saying they are?
In the 1820’s and 30’s there was a man by the name Samuel G. Morton, a physician from Philadelphia, who studied human skulls by measuring them to determine if there was a difference between races specifically in brain size. He believed that the Europeans, especially the English, had the best brain capacity. Next, came the Chinese. Then, came Southeast Asians and Polynesians. Following that, came the American Indians. Last was, Africans and Australians. (Science: 1770s-1850s: One Race or Several Species)
Also, in the early 1900’s there were different intelligence test conducted mainly to “justify racial and ethnic discrimination”. …show more content…
For example, in the first study I mentioned, Morton measured the size of the skull to determine brain size, so his findings must be accurate and non-bias, right? Then when the intelligence test came about, it made it even easier for people to believe since the results make it seem like the immigrants were dumb when in reality they were just very poorly educated.
Is racism a biologically or sociologically determined construct? Explain.
Racism is a sociologically determined construct. Racism has to do with someone’s negative social beliefs regarding a different race then their own. People are not born racist, but the way they are raised can shape their views as they get older. Children that are around parents or others for a long period of time that are racist have a better chance of becoming racists themselves vs children surrounded by the opposite social environment.
What did you learn from these 2 items that you did not know …show more content…
In that time they automatically assumed Europeans were number one and regardless of the findings of the test that was going to be first. So since Asians came second and third, along with Polynesians, they had to be really smart compared to Indians, Africans, and Australian. Also, I did not know that an intelligent test influenced U.S. immigration. It’s interesting that the government used something like that to shape their policies.
Did anything shock you?
Honestly, nothing really shocks me anymore when it comes to racism. I have seen so many movies, shows, and witnessed so many things that I have grown to expect these sorts of things especially when looking back in history.
What would you do today if you saw the government purposefully attempting to discriminate against one race, but not