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America's 3 tiered society |
In American Society We are all taught ( Whites included ) that any drop of African Blood classifies one as " Black " regardless of skin complexion or Percentage of other genetic makeup.
A theory developed by White America to seperate the Races..It is better know as the
" ONE DROP RULE "
...Click below for more on this theory
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In the Latin system of ethnic and racial classification your physical appearance determined what your race or ethnicity is. The mulattoes also, did not view mulattoes who had visible black ancestry as black, they went by your physical appearance just like the Creoles did. In the English speaking Southern slave states all people of mixed race were called mulattoes. Some mulattoes were free and some mulattoes were in slavery along with the blacks.
The first generation Creoles of color and mulattoes were children of white men with black slave women. As time went on Creoles of color married other creoles of color, and mulattoes married mulattoes thus becoming endogamous. The majority of the creoles spoke French and the mulattoes spoke English. The mulattoes and creoles of color had many educated people among them and they had their own communities and businesses also.
South Carolina and Alabama had very powerful mulatto elites, and many of them were Quadroons and Octoroons. All throughout the South there were communities of mulattoes, the mulattoes were sometimes called Coloureds and persons of color. The creoles of color were also called Coloureds too. The term Coloured during slavery and after slavery ended always meant a person who was mixed race mulatto or creole. A black person was not a Coloured. Many creoles who were wealthy sent their children to be educated in France. The Creole elite participated in local politics too in New Orleans, Louisiana too.
Creoles had more freedom in the state of Louisiana than mulattoes had among English speaking whites.
So when it came to which group had the most civil rights and privileges by law, Creole living in Louisiana had more civil rights than the mulattoes living in other states that were controlled by English speaking whites. The French treated their mixed race people a little better than the English speaking whites treated their mixed race people (mulattoes).
The one drop rule (ODR) was created in the state of Ohio in the 1830s, and it spreaded gradually to the other states. it was only a social custom but it was not a state or federal law. By it only a social cultural custom this is explains why there were mulattoes walking around free, and why they were called mulattoes and people of color instead of just black (negro). France then sold the state of Louisiana to America.
The more English speaking white Anglo Saxons moved into the state of Louisiana the more things began to change for the worst for the creoles of color, white creole, and black creoles.
April 30, 1803—The United States and France concluded the Louisiana Purchase Treaty in which France sold the Louisiana Territory to the United States for about $11,250,000. There were additional costs and interest payments so that the total amount owed was almost $27,000,000.
Dec., 1803—Louisiana officially joined the United States.
Now that the United States of America owned the state of Louisiana, all of the racial tensions that English speaking whites had with the mulattoes and blacks were now transferred and brought to the Louisiana.
The next 100 years white Anglo Saxons and politicians began to gradually limit the privileges that the creoles of color had when they were controlled by France and Spain. France controlled Louisiana first and then after many years sold it to Spain, and years later France and Spain signed a treaty that allowed France to buy the state of Louisiana back from Spain.
The Creoles did not like the way white Anglo Saxons (colonist who descended from from England) viewed race and ethnicity. The Anglo Saxon whites did not respect that there was a difference between creoles of color and blacks (negros), creoles of color had their own culture that was heavily influenced by France and Spain.
White Anglos gradually increased in the area for the next 100 years, and then they introduced the ODR (one drop rule), the one drop rule was also called the one drop blood rule and it stated that one drop of black blood makes you a Negro (black).
From the 1870s all the way up to 1900 Creoles lost a lot of political power in Louisiana, and their status as a unique separate endogamous ethnic group with their own culture became more and more irrelevant in the eyes of the white Anglo Saxons whom many were now politicians, judges, Law enforcement officers, voters, business owners, etc in the state of Louisiana.
Whites began to push the one drop blood rule more and more, and it had become socially acceptable by whites that because Creoles of color had some black ancestry they are to be considered black. The creoles now powerless to stop the ODR (one drop rule or one drop blood rule) knew that racial discrimination would get even worst and they would continue to be treated like blacks.
This forced creoles who looked totally white in phenotype to either choose to remain creole of color of pass for white to avoid racial discrimination and mistreatment. These Quadroon and Octoroon creoles of color who could pass for white felt very sad, because some of them had family members who were light skin but could not pass for white. This meant that they would be labeled black and mistreated and racially discriminate against by whites.
This caused many creoles of color emotional pain, forced to make a choice for a better life free of racial discrimination or acknowledge in certain situations that you are Creole and end up being labeled black by whites in society whom interact with you. Thus opening your self up to racial discrimination. Some creoles passed for white but remained in contact with their family members who could not pass. Some served all ties with their family members who could not pass.
In 1910 the State of Tennessee was the first state in America to pass the one drop blood rule law. From 1910 all the way up to 1930 all states by 1930 had the one drop blood rule law on their law books, the states that anyone with one drop of black blood is automatically a black person.
The mulattoes also had become victims of the one drop blood rule, mulattoes (mixed race of black and white) who could pass for white many of them joined the white race, some who could pass chose to remain mulattoes and then were forced to start calling themselves black.
In 1967 the supreme court in the case of Richard Loving and Mildred Loving vs. the state of Virgina the supreme court of America removed and struck down the the one drop blood rule law and anti interracial marriage law(anti miscegenation).
The Government and the 50 states no longer support the ODR but there are still some blacks, whites, and certain members of other non white ethnic groups who still support the ODR.
The ODR is socially still in affect must fight against this pathology that has caused so much pain and suffering for mixed race people whom are mulattoes and creoles. Mixed race people should be allowed to claim all of their heritages and ancestries, without being forced to choose one ancestry only.
The ODR will disappear from America society someday I have no doubts about it
