Problem
I. Whiteness is currently equated with anyone from European origins but from your readings for this week, this was far from the case historically. Pick one European ethnic group (preferably Germans, Jews or Irish) and talk about how that group became white. Cite one specific example from your readings that lends support to the process.
II. In the article at the end of the PowerPoint, "What's White, Anyway?", one of the most powerful statements made is that we thought we "saw" race at the turn of the last century and how we saw race then was very different than how we see race today. Average U.S. citizens really, truly thought they could tell the difference between the Portuguese, Spanish, North Italian, Southern Italian, Sicilian, Irish, Scottish, German, Polish, Greek, and 30-40 other races (primarily European) just by looking at a person or their picture. When we say race is socially and historically constructed, how do these changing biological definitions of who is or who is not white reflect the larger social issues of the day?