Asked by Bryce Scieszinski on Jun 23, 2024
Verified
Why did the United States adopt the policy of hypodescent?
A) By conflating the cultural and biological, the United States used this policy historically to discriminate.
B) This policy was primarily in place as a way to encourage families to produce more children across perceived racial lines.
C) Primarily applied to limit economic transactions across racial groups, it, instead, served to create a caste system in the United States.
D) Hypodescent was used during the epoch of slavery as a way to prevent social and reproductive interaction between the races.
Hypodescent
Refers to a societal rule that assigns a person with mixed ancestry to the social category of the subordinate or minority group rather than the dominant one.
Discriminate
To differentiate or make distinctions between individuals or groups often based on prejudice or unjust grounds such as race, sex, or age.
Caste System
A traditional form of social stratification characterized by hereditary transmission of lifestyle, occupation, and social status.
- Fathom the development of race as a societal construct and its impact on social fabrics.
- Explore the historical development and contemporary manifestations of racial categorization and discrimination.
Verified Answer
EF
Elliott FulbrightJun 23, 2024
Final Answer :
A
Explanation :
Hypodescent, often referred to as the "one-drop rule," was historically used in the United States to categorize individuals with any amount of non-white ancestry as non-white. This policy conflated cultural and biological concepts of race to maintain and justify racial discrimination and segregation, reinforcing a social hierarchy that privileged whiteness.
Learning Objectives
- Fathom the development of race as a societal construct and its impact on social fabrics.
- Explore the historical development and contemporary manifestations of racial categorization and discrimination.