BBC - Racism; A History - Part 1

What is the main focus of the documentary series Racism; A history by the BBC?

• The innate nature of racism within every human population.

• The horrifying reality of racism and how researchers trace its origins to human nature—while linking its eradication to transforming that very nature.

• The development of racism was incrementaland deeply intertwined with colonialism, the rise of cash crops, and the commercial revolution that sustained it.

• Racism was developed by a few powerful Europeans who understood that it's design would enable them to make huge amounts of money through the capitalistic exploitaiton of non-European peoples.

Answer explanation

The correct choice highlights that the documentary focuses on how racism developed incrementally, closely linked to colonialism and economic changes, rather than solely attributing it to human nature or individual motivations.

The documentary series addresses the development of racism in the context of colonialism by:

• highlighting the capitalistic motivations behind colonialism.

• exploring the cultural exchanges between colonizers and the colonized

• examining the legal and cultural frameworks established to enforce racial hierarchies

• showcasing the successful resistance movements against colonial powers

Answer explanation

The correct answer examines the legal and cultural frameworks that enforce racial hierarchies, which is crucial in understanding how colonialism institutionalized racism, making it a central theme of the documentary series.

What role do Western philosophers like Thomas Jefferson and Immanuel Kant play in the documentary's exploration of racism?

• They provide historical context to the incramental development of racism, which shifted from religious support to scientific support.

• They were outspoken opponents of racism because it undemrined their views on the universal rights they argued made the Enlightenment revolutionary.

• They are not mentioned in the documentary.

• They offer solutions to combat racism.

Answer explanation

Western philosophers like Thomas Jefferson and Immanuel Kant provide historical context to the development of racism, illustrating its shift from religious to scientific support, which is crucial for understanding its evolution.

The documentary uses historical examples to illustrate the impact of racism by:

• showing personal stories of affected individuals who were oppressed by racism.

• Highlighting key events and intellectual developments in the slow and incremantal history of racism.

• analyzing statistical data that suggests that racism is a human failing that has been with us since the dawn of civilization.

• comparing different countries' approaches to trying to stop the spread of racism.

Answer explanation

The documentary highlights key events and intellectual developments in the history of racism, illustrating its gradual evolution and impact over time, which is essential for understanding its deep-rooted nature.

In class and throughout the documentary we are learning that there were two distinct ways of expressing racist ideas. Please choose the two main types of racist thinking that developed from the 16th to 18th centuries. (Select two answers please)

• Anti-Black Racism

• Monogenism

• Unogenism

• Polygenism

Answer explanation

Monogenism and Polygenism are the two main types of racist thinking from the 16th to 18th centuries. Monogenism posits a single human origin, while Polygenism suggests multiple origins, both used to justify racial hierarchies.

In the documentary we learn that intellectual Europeans utilized a specific theory to describe why people have varying skin colors before the 16th century. This theory was called:

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'climate theory' as it refers to the concept used by Europeans to explain variations in skin color based on environmental factors before the 16th century.

One large problem that people faced in the 17th and 18th century was their lack of knowledge about how long the earth has been around and how much time it has taken for life to develop. Which of the following best captures this problem for early racial thinkers

• Early racial thinkers simply did not like people they met from varying places of the world because they did not have enough time to get to know them well.

• Early racial thinkers believed humans had enough time to develop racial differences when the time needed to do so was much greater than the amount of time homo-sapiens have been a species.

• Early racial thinkers could not think outside of the strict biblical timelines. They had not developed enough skepticism of religious ideas yet.

• Early racial thinkers were too interested in supporting outdated ideas and could not think in revolutionary ways.

Answer explanation

Early racial thinkers mistakenly believed that the time available for human evolution was sufficient for significant racial differences to develop, despite the actual time since homo sapiens emerged being much shorter.

Proponents of “scientific racism” argued that ____________.

• race could be biologically defined and characterized.

• western dominance was justified on the basis on racial superiority.

• the theories of Charles Darwin supported world dominance by the “fittest” races.

• all of the above.

Answer explanation

Proponents of scientific racism believed that race could be biologically defined, justified western dominance through racial superiority, and misinterpreted Darwin's theories to support the idea of 'fittest' races, making 'all of the above' correct.

Early on, religion was used to support racial ideas about human beings, Which of the following references to religious text was used to rationalize the enslavement of people from Africa?

• The writings of Jesus Christ.

• The Servants of Canaan

• The Plight of Job

• The Curse of Ham

Answer explanation

The Curse of Ham, found in Genesis, was misinterpreted to justify the enslavement of Africans, suggesting that descendants of Ham were destined for servitude. This rationale was used to support racial discrimination.

In class we learned from the National Geographic how long Homo-Sapiens have been a species and where they lived for a majority of that time. Please choose the correct time and place that homo-sapiens originated.

• 2 million Years ago in Africa

• 20,000 years ago in EuroAsia

• 200,000-250,000 years ago in Asia

• 200,000-250,000 years ago in Africa

Answer explanation

Homo sapiens originated 200,000-250,000 years ago in Africa, as supported by fossil evidence and genetic studies, making this the correct choice among the options provided.