Creating Whiteness: A Timeline of American History
The concept of the white race didn't always exist. It came from somewhere, evolved over time, and though it has morphed in ways that alter its function in society, it continues to serve its intended purpose: tricking the white public into identifying with the ownership class rather than members of other races with whom the public invariably has more in common.
Understanding this history helps us discern how whites and whiteness act to affect the distribution of wealth and power in the U.S. Here are some important periods, what impact they had on the concept of whiteness, and some examples of how they worked.
First Blush (1550-1600s)
When Europeans first encountered African peoples, they began developing racial distinctions based on skin color. The English often associated blackness with sin and moral corruption. For example:
English writings from this period linked the color black with concepts like "foul," "wicked," and "sinister," while white represented purity and virtue.
As early as 1643, Virginia created laws that taxed African women as laborers differently than English women, marking one of the first legal distinctions based on race.
Legalize It (Late 1600’s)
This period saw colonial governments formalize racial distinctions, granting privileges to "white" individuals while restricting Africans and their descendants.
Virginia passed a law in 1680 preventing "any negroe or other slave" from raising a hand against a white person, establishing official racial hierarchies.
After Bacon's Rebellion in 1676 (when poor whites and blacks briefly united against the colonial elite), colonial leaders intensified racial distinctions to prevent future alliances between black and white laborers, leading to laws that entrenched slavery based on race.
Reasoned Rage (1700s)
During the Enlightenment, European thinkers attempted to classify humans into distinct races, often placing Europeans at the top of a supposed racial hierarchy:
Carl Linnaeus created a classification system that organized humans into hierarchical racial categories, conveniently placing Europeans at the top.
Johann Friedrich Blumenbach introduced the term "Caucasian" for white people, asserting their superiority and reinforcing racial hierarchies through what was presented as objective science.
Smelting Pot (1790)
The U.S. Naturalization Act restricted citizenship to "free white persons," legally embedding the concept of whiteness into American law and linking it to national identity:
This act made whiteness a prerequisite for citizenship, formally excluding non-white individuals from the naturalization process.
The restriction created a foundation for a national identity built around whiteness that would persist for generations.
Scrambling (19th Century)
As the U.S. expanded westward, policies further entrenched the association of whiteness with American identity, while the definition of "white" itself evolved:
The Indian Removal Act of 1830 forcibly displaced Native American tribes, opening lands for white settlers and reinforcing the idea that America was meant for white people.
European immigrant groups, such as Irish and Italians, initially weren't considered "white" enough but gradually assimilated into the white majority. This expansion of whiteness shows how it's a social construct rather than a fixed biological category.
Just One Drop (1924)
Virginia's Racial Integrity Act enforced the "one-drop rule," classifying individuals with any African ancestry as black and prohibiting interracial marriage:
The law defined a white person as someone with "no trace whatsoever of any blood other than Caucasian," legally codifying the idea of white "purity."
By banning interracial marriage, the state attempted to maintain rigid racial boundaries through control of family formation and reproduction.
Facing Challenges (Mid-20th Century): The Civil Rights Movement
The Civil Rights Movement confronted institutionalized racism, leading to the dismantling of legal segregation and challenging white supremacy:
Brown v. Board of Education (1954) struck down racial segregation in public schools, challenging the legal foundations of white supremacy.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, dismantling legal segregation and affirming civil rights for all citizens.
White in the Light
Scholars and activists began to critically examine whiteness itself as a social construct:
Academic studies of whiteness emerged, exploring how it operates to maintain power structures and privilege.
Concepts like "white privilege" gained prominence, highlighting the unearned advantages given to white individuals in various aspects of society.
Restoration 2.0 (2010’s to 2025/Present)
Overview:
This phase is characterized by two simultaneous and opposing dynamics:
Growing awareness of whiteness as a social construct of dominance.
Aggressive backlash aimed at preserving its power through rebranded cultural and political ideologies.
Whiteness is no longer an invisible norm—it is increasingly scrutinized and named. In response, many white Americans are either moving toward racial awareness or doubling down on racial defensiveness, respectability politics, and grievance-based narratives.
Growing Awareness
George Floyd Protests and Racial Reckoning
The murder of George Floyd catalyzed the largest racial justice protests in U.S. history.
Terms like white privilege, systemic racism, and anti-racism entered the mainstream, leading to corporate DEI programs, public acknowledgments of structural inequality, and widespread racial discourse.
The Rise of Whiteness Studies and Popular Discourse
Books like Robin DiAngelo’s White Fragility and Ibram X. Kendi’s How to Be an Antiracist became bestsellers.
Academic and journalistic institutions increasingly published content examining whiteness as a racialized identity tied to power and systemic inequity.
Politics of White Grievance
Uncritical Race Myths
In response to racial equity initiatives, states began passing laws banning the teaching of Critical Race Theory (CRT), often broadly applied to any discussion of race or structural inequality in schools.
This backlash reframed whiteness as under attack, emphasizing "reverse racism," “parental rights,” and “colorblind meritocracy.”
New White Identity Politics
Far-right ideologies such as the “Great Replacement Theory” become more mainstream, claiming that white Americans are being intentionally displaced through immigration and multiculturalism.
This rhetoric has moved from extremist fringes into mainstream political discourse, shaping policies and campaigns.
White Lives Matter
The Heartbreak of Supremacy
Polls show increasing numbers of white Americans believe they face discrimination. Many now describe themselves as part of a beleaguered group whose values and status are under siege.
God Prefers Me
Whiteness fuses with religious and nationalist identities, fueling movements that resist demographic and cultural change by asserting “traditional” (often implicitly white Christian) American values.
Political “Corrections”
Billion Dollar Allyship
Corporations, politicians, and celebrities adopt the language of racial justice without committing to structural change—“diversity-washing” whiteness into something palatable, yet still dominant.
Discomfort is Oppression!
Some white Americans adopt a posture of moral victimhood, arguing that they are being unfairly blamed for history or silenced by “cancel culture”—a retooling of whiteness from superiority to grievance.
