Johann Friedrich Blumenbach died in January. Well, it was January 22, but in 1840. Why should you care? You should care because he was the first racial profiler.  The original name calling, label maker.

"He believed that like skin color, cranial profile, etc., went hand in hand with declarations of group character and aptitude."

Blumenbach, born May 11, 1752 was a German physiologist and anthropologist. His thesis paper written about the difference in people and titled the Natural Varieties of Mankind was considered one of the most influential papers of his time and basically established the way different races are seen in the world today. The separation of the people by race was established in order to institute the separation by social and economic differences. 

. It is amazing how the mere words of another person can effect and change the course of history, and the wealth, health and well being of another. Mere words, whether based on truth, personal beliefs or delusion can make or break a world, a nation, a life, mere words. There is nothing in the law of nature that makes one color of person superior to another despite the fact cultural differences, language barrier, and the color of skin all fused together to form a case set against another group of people.
The idea of the Caucasian race to be superior to other races has been spread across the entire world. How people have been accepted and treated within the context of a given society or culture has a direct impact on how they perform in that society. Racial beliefs constitute myths about the diversity in the human species and about the abilities and behavior of people placed into "racial" categories.

 The myths combined the perception of behavior and physical features together in the public mind, and blocked the ability to understand behavior is not a genetic determination of a person. Temperaments, dispositions, and personalities, regardless of genetic, are developed by the life we live. Blumenbach's theory was based on his study of 60 human skulls, with these skulls Blumenbach divided humans in to five races, Caucasian (white), Mongolian (yellow), Malayan (brown), Ethiopian (black), and American (red).
He believed that like skin color, cranial profile, etc., went hand in hand with declarations of group character and aptitude. *The "fairness" and relatively high brows of Caucasians were held to be apt physical expressions of a loftier mentality and a more generous spirit. *The epicanthic folds around the eyes of Mongolians and their slightly sallow outer epidermal layer bespoke their supposedly crafty, literal-minded nature
*The dark skin and relatively sloping craniums of Ethiopians were taken as proof of a closer genetic relations to the apes. Despite the fact the skin of chimpanzees and gorillas beneath the hair is whiter than the average Caucasian skin and orangutans and some monkey species have foreheads fully as vertical as the typical Englishman or German.

Blumenbach's analysis sealed the fate of every race other than Caucasian as inferior.
 Looking over the list of the awesome people that have made America the fantastic country it is today, it is has been proven time and time again that the 'inferior' label placed on many races is false. Basically what it all boils down to is the fact one set of people decided they were better than another, used the unknown about the Indians and Africans' culture to foster the belief further and spurred the lies and discrimination to justify the psychological, and physical torture aimed at another group of people
.
Later in life Blumenbach decided to do further anatomical research and come up with the belief that Africans were not inferior to the rest of mankind. Unfortunately these later ideas were far less influential than his earlier assertions with regard to the perceived relative qualities of the different so-called races. It goes to show, once we label or brand something, it is hard to change the conceptual relationship in man's mind. Blumenbach died January 22, 1840. His classification and the scientific concept of human races was widely accepted for about two hundred years, but in the late twentieth century, it came to light that Homo sapiens could not be divided into races or subspecies. After Blumenbach's time, the term Caucasian no longer was associated with peoples from the Caucasus but continued to be used as a racial indicator. Wow, amazing how one person's opinion, a mere word shaped America. We are a nation that thrives on 'mere' words to shape our actions and thoughts...mere can almost be integrated into our name A-mer-i-ca.

Beads On A String-America's Racially Intertwined Biographical History ~

Kindle, Smashwords , Sony or Kobo, Scribed
Nook and iTunes Before you leave, please take some time to do this…

Write down a couple of quick notes for:

Ways this post or blog held or lost your attention.

Is there a way I can enchance it visually?

Did you find any interest in the featured book?

What social network would be best for you to share this information?

I'd love it if you told me your answers in the comments below so I can know how to serve my readers.

 I'm excited to share the newest review of my American history book and a much needed trek out of the house and onto a wonderful blog site.

  ·

Below is the review for Ey Wade's book, "Beads on a String." On August 24, she will be sharing a bit about her writing journey on the Sweet & Sassy Scribblers' blog. So please drop by, say hello, and welcome Ey to our Scribbler family. 

 

A Unique Look at American History

"History is usually told through the eyes of the victor" is an oft-used description of the textbooks we're assigned to read in school.

Unfortunately, a lot of the historical facts and information that don't favor the ones in power get glossed over or totally ignored. Other bits are skewed to stretch the truth or tell only one side of the story.

Ey Wade wanted her home-schooled children to get the whole picture of American history through the eyes of the people making the history. I was very impressed with her focus on presenting a multi-racial history and not emphasizing skin color or ethnicity. Instead, her account values the contributions of the people involved in building our country without using distinctions or labels.

Of course, there were terrible chapters in the history of America we cannot overlook – slavery, the oppression of Native Americans, the mistreatment of Chinese, Japanese internment camps, and the list goes on and on – fueled by hatred, bigotry, and fear. Ey Wade covers these events in a clear and concise, non-biased fashion.

In the introduction, Ey states that "Beads on a String" was written to help everyone learn from the past and use that knowledge to make a better present and future. In other words, in place of dwelling on the wrongs done by our ancestors, it's better to let go and heal. She reminds us we are a nation of immigrants. Instead of being African-American, Asian-American, or European-American, "we need to drop the hyphen, and all be Americans."

Ey Wade's "Beads on a String" https://www.amazon.com/Beads-String-Special.../dp/1463696043

 

Sit and make a point. Have you heard the adage, stand for something? A good strategy , but there comes a time when marching around  will not make a statement or a difference.

This was the case, February 1, 1960 when the Greensboro Four took a seat at the counter of the Woolsworth.

GREENSBORO FOUR were civil rights activists. Four black freshmen at North Carolina A&T State University, Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil, Ezell Blair, Jr., and David Richmond, took seats at the segregated lunch counter of F. W. Woolworth's in Greensboro, N.C. They were refused service and sat peacefully until the store closed. They returned the next day, along with about 25 other students, and their requests were again denied.

The Greensboro Four inspired similar sit-ins across the state and by the end of February; such protests were taking place across the South. Finally in July, Woolworth's integrated all of its stores. The four have become icons of the civil rights movement.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

1) JIBREEL KHAZAN (Ezell Blair Jr.) - One of the original four who took part in the Woolworth sit-ins. A Greensboro native, he graduated from Dudley High School and received a B.S. in sociology from North Carolina A&T State University in 1963. While a student at A&T, Khazan was president of the junior class, the student government association, the campus NAACP and the Greensboro Congress for Racial Equality. He attended law school at Howard University for almost a year. He became a member of the New England Islamic Center in 1968 and took on his present name.

 2)FRANKLIN EUGENE MCCAIN  One of the original four who took part in the Woolworth sit-ins. He was born in Union County, and reared in Washington, D.C. He graduated from Eastern High School in Washington. He received a B.S. degree in chemistry and biology from North Carolina A&T State University in 1964. While he was an A&T student, he roomed with David Richmond -- another of the original sit-in participants -- and around the corner from Ezell Blair Jr. and Joseph McNeil on the second floor of Scott Hall. He joined the Celanese Corporation in Charlotte in 1965 as a chemist and was head of the company's office in Shelby, while continuing to live in Charlotte. He was married to the former Bettye Davis until his death, January 2014. They have three sons.

3) lJOSEPH ALFRED MCNEIL - One of the original four taking part in the Woolworth sit-ins. A Wilmington native, he graduated from Williston Senior High School. McNeil earned a degree in engineering physics from North Carolina A&T State University in 1963. His roommate at Scott Hall on the A&T campus was another sit-in participant; Ezell Blair Jr. McNeil spent six years as a U.S. Air Force officer and attained the rank of captain. He is now a major general in the Air Force Reserves. He worked in computer sales for IBM, as a commercial banker for Bankers Trust in New York City, and as a stock broker for E.F. Hutton in Fayetteville. He now resides in Hempstead, N.Y. He is married to the former Ina Brown, and they have five children. 

4) DAVID LEINAIL RICHMOND was one of the original four, taking part in the Woolworth sit-ins. He was born in Greensboro and graduated from Dudley High School. At A&T, he majored in business administration and accounting. After leaving A&T, he became a counselor-coordinator for the CETA program in Greensboro. He lived in the mountain community of Franklin for nine years, and then returned to Greensboro to take care of his parents and work as a housekeeping porter for Greensboro Health Care Center. In 1980, the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce awarded him the Levi Coffin Award for "leadership in human rights, human relations, and human resources development in Greensboro." He was married and divorced twice and has two children with Yvonne Bryson. His son, Chip Richmond, was a starter on the football team at Wake Forest University. Richmond died of lung cancer on Dec. 7, 1990. He was 49 years old. A &T awarded him a posthumous honorary doctorate degree.

February One The Story of the Greensboro Four

 February One: The Story of the Greensboro Four is an intimate look at how four African-American freshmen at North Carolina A&T University took a stand for justice by sitting down at a Woolworth whites-only lunch counter in Greensboro, Project Directors: Rebecca Cerese and Dr. Steven Channing Executive Producer: Dr. Steven Channing Producer: Rebecca Cerese Co-Producers: Cynthia Hill and Daniel Blake Smith Videographer: Warren Gentry Editor: Tom Vickers Website: pbs.org /independentlens/februaryone/

Read more in history through- Beads ona String-America's Racially Intertwined Biographical History is available for purchase. ,Amazon, Smashwords , Sony or Kobo, Scribed
Nook and iTunes

 
Before you leave, please take some time to do this…

Write down a couple of quick notes for:

Ways this post or blog held or lost your attention.

Is there a way I can enchance it visually?

Did you find any interest in the featured book?

What social network would be best for you to share this information?

I'd love it if you told me your answers in the comments below so I can know how to serve my readers.

Would you like to read a sample of my writings in other genres? Download a free copy of, " WHEN ONE DOOR CLOSES" At Smashwords HERE Put in code: MP63V