| "We are unique in this country in the way we | | | | the rest were whites. On the other hand such person |
| describe and define race and ascribe to it | | | | will be totally accepted by black population and |
| characteristics that other cultures view very | | | | partially or totally rejected as white by whites. The |
| differently", those are the words of Thomas C. | | | | issue of black vs. white in case of blended blood is |
| Sawyer who is a chairman of House Sub-committee | | | | not only racial, but it is truly political now and |
| on Census, Statistics, and Postal Personnel. Although | | | | consequently economical. There are great numbers |
| the question of race and ethical belongingness could | | | | of economic issues that are associated with |
| seem to be of a minor importance in other countries, | | | | distinguishing of the races. Such as affirmative-action |
| it is a very debatable and controversial issue in the | | | | programs for black population as for the minority |
| States. America is probably the only country in the | | | | group is an important aspect for most of its |
| world which holds so many nationalities and races on | | | | representatives. They receive certain privileges in a |
| one piece of land. And although America is considered | | | | lot of aspects of life, such as education, work place, |
| to be a very democratic entity, it has a rather | | | | living arrangements, etc. Consequently one can view |
| autocratic approach to the race identification of its | | | | the one-drop rule as two sided, as it can have |
| citizens. The whole concept of one-drop rule has its | | | | positive and negative effect. Politically it is not a |
| roots in the colonial America, when there were only | | | | constructive decision to let go off of all the privileges |
| few races inhabiting the States. There were whites, | | | | such minorities as black people receive, lobbying their |
| blacks, and Native Americans (Indians). The | | | | interests in the government. I believe however, that |
| antebellum South promoted the rule as a way of | | | | the question is not in any political or economic |
| enlarging the slave population with the children of | | | | benefits or damages that such groups can undergo. |
| slave holders. By the nineteen-twenties, in Jim Crow | | | | It is not a question of number of boxes in which one |
| America the one-drop rule was well established as | | | | marks national integration, but a question of how one |
| the law of the land. As one can see, the notion of | | | | feels when he or she is unfairly prearranged to be |
| one-drop rule was made out of the convenience of | | | | something. An adult person should decide to which |
| slave masters, who wished for the slave population | | | | race and color he/she belongs and how one feels |
| to grow. It was for the purpose of having more | | | | about it, and no one should indicate it. Even if there |
| working force, although a lot of times slaves had skin | | | | are two drops of black blood in a white or Asian |
| as fair as their masters'. That is where all the | | | | person, the holder of those two drops has to decide |
| confusion with determining one's racial belongingness | | | | to which race he/she belongs, especially because it's |
| started. Nowadays, although two centuries have | | | | an only a matter of social debates and not biological |
| elapsed, America is facing a problem of defining one's | | | | assessment. Canada has found an answer to this |
| race. The mixture of peoples living in the States is | | | | problem 50 years ago when it decided to drop the |
| incredible, it is very hard for a person to identify to | | | | race question from its census and hasn't return to it |
| what extent he or she is black or white, Asian or | | | | ever since. Now Canadians are only Canadians, with all |
| Hispanic. Although this racial issue should concern all | | | | the bloods they have in them being only their own |
| mixed "bloods" somehow one-drop rule considers | | | | and not a subject to governmental discussion. In |
| black and white mixtures solely. This approach | | | | conclusion to all being said above, I have to |
| galvanizes a number of racist issues, which are | | | | acknowledge that the elimination of ethical |
| mostly diminished in other inter-racial mixtures such as | | | | differences in legal papers will probably never happen |
| Asian and white or Indian and white. It is believed | | | | in America, I do hope that any number of drops of |
| that person with just a little of black blood is not | | | | different blood type will not result in racism or racial |
| considered white even if his or her | | | | inequality. |
| great-great-great-great grandfather was black and | | | | |