This document discusses theories of race in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It describes how scientists like Johann Blumenbach and Samuel Morton developed pseudoscientific theories to try to prove white racial superiority, such as by claiming Caucasians had larger brains and were more beautiful. Their work was used to justify discriminatory policies and shape public thinking despite being based on subjective judgments rather than facts. The document examines how these theories became integral to government policies and legislation that discriminated unfairly between citizens.

1. GRADE 11 – TOPIC 3:
IDEAS OF RACE IN THE LATE 19TH
AND 20TH CENTURIES
CHAPTER 1:
THEORIES AND PRACTICE
M.N.SPIES

2. WHAT IS A PEER?
• A person of the same legal status: a jury of one's peers.
• A person who is equal to another in abilities,
qualifications, age, background, and social status.
• Something of equal worth or quality: a sky-
scraper without peer.
• A nobleman.
• A member of any of the five degrees of the nobility in
Great Britain and Ireland
(duke, marquis, earl, viscount, and baron).
• A companion.
M.N.SPIES

3. Would you consider
these two ladies peers?
M.N.SPIES

4. KEY QUESTION: What were the consequences when theories
about race and racial differences became integral to
government policies and legislation in the 19th and 20th
centuries?
• THE THEORIES WAS SUPPOSEDLY BASED ON
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH. (CAUSE)
• THUS, THE GOVERNMENT MADE LAWS THAT
DISCRIMINATED UNFAIRLY BETWEEN THEIR
CITIZENS. (EFFECT)
M.N.SPIES

5. IS IT POSSIBLE TO ESCAPE THE IDEA
OF RACE AND RACISM IN SOUTH
AFRICA?
M.N.SPIES

6. I THINK SO, BECAUSE THESE ARE
PHOTOS OF MYSELF AND MY PEERS:
M.N.SPIES

7. M.N.SPIES

8. RACISM
• UNFORTUNATELY, RACE AND RACISM IS PART
OF OUR HISTORY, DESPITE THE END OF
APARTHEID, AND WE ARE CONFRONTED WITH
ISSUES OF RACE IN OUR DAILY INTERACTIONS
WITH PEOPLE.
• RACE AND RACISM ARE STILL REAL FEATURES
IN OUR SOCIETY...
• BUT WHAT IS RACISM AND WHERE DOES IT
COME FROM?
M.N.SPIES

9. 19TH CENTURY
• EUROPEANS, AMERICANS AND AUSTRALIANS
BECAME OBSESSED WITH IDEAS OF RACE.
• TRIED TO CLASSIFY SOCIETY INTO RACE
GROUPS.
• MAIN IDEA WAS TO PROVE THAT WHITES ARE
SUPERIOR TO OTHER RACES – ESPECIALLY
BLACK PEOPLE.
• THEY TURNED TO SCIENCE TO TRY AND PROOF
IT.
M.N.SPIES

10. DEFINITION OF RACISM
• FALSE IDEA THAT CERTAIN PEOPLE ARE BETTER
THAN OTHERS.
• RACISTS BELIEVE THAT IT IS ACCEPTABLE TO
EXCLUDE OR DOMINATE CERTAIN GROUPS ON
THE GROUNDS OF THEIR RACE.
M.N.SPIES

11. CLASS DISCUSSION
1. SKIN COLOUR IS ONE WAY TO DISCRIMINATE
AGAINST EACH OTHER. WHAT ELSE DIVIDE
PEOPLE? (WHO DO WE DISCRIMINATE
AGAINST IN OUR OWN LIVES?)
2. WHY DO YOU THINK SOUTH AFRICA IS STILL
DEALING WITH ISSUES OF RACE?
M.N.SPIES

12. Chapter 1 – Theories and practice
Unit 1: Notions about hierarchies of race in the
19th century
M.N.SPIES

13. Scientific Racism
• Scientific research were done by Americans and
Europeans to justify discriminatory practices in
their countries.
• Many of the research were firstly based on
physical differences to proof white people as
superior.
• Scientific racism is theories about race which are
based on scientific research with the purpose to
proof that one race is better than the other.
M.N.SPIES

14. Hierarchy of Races
• Scientific racism used science to promote the
idea that people should be divided into groups:
• They wanted to create a Hierarchy of Races :
• Ranking people from highest to lowest, from best
to worst, from important to unimportant.
• But their theories was subjective, and are
therefore now known as Pseudo-scientific racial
theories. (pseudo=false and misleading)
M.N.SPIES

15. There was however one accurate
scientific racism discovery:
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16. Johann Blumenbach’s
Pseudo-scientific theory
• German scientist...1795
• Divided human kinds into 5 groups, based on
the geographical areas in which they lived.
• Negro = Africa
• Mongolian = Asia
• Malay = Southeast Asia
• American Indian = the Americas
• Caucasian = Europe
M.N.SPIES

17. Johann Blumenbach’s
Pseudo-scientific theory
• He called the groups “races”.
• Believed Caucasians were the beautiful race
and that all other races were degeneration
from the original type.
• No scientific facts...only his personal
preference.
• His own subjective judgement.
• Many Western societies accepted his theory
as fact.
M.N.SPIES

18. M.N.SPIES

19. Samuel Morton
Pseudo-scientific theory
• American scientist...mid 19th century.
• Believed each group was created separately
and with different abilities.
• Intelligences linked to brain size.
• Measured skulls from around the
world...found that Caucasian’s skulls are
bigger: more intelligent = superior to other
races.
M.N.SPIES

20. Samuel Morton
Pseudo-scientific theory
• His theory shaped the thinking of politicians,
journalists, religious leaders.
• People started to believe that some races are
superior to other races.
• They thought his research was based on
scientific grounds = accepted his research as
the truth.
M.N.SPIES