Helfand reading on the Construction of Whiteness
Please read "Constructing Whiteness" by Judy Helfand. This is one of the most important readings of the semester because it explains the construction of race in the United States. It is about how race was invented and slavery established in the 1600s during the development of the Virginia Colony, the first English colony and the precursor to what would be the United States.
You can also find it easily by Googling her name and the article title. (Disregard top of web page, the article has not moved, scroll down until you see her name--there's no article title.) You're welcome to read the intro, it's quite interesting. But the official assignment only includes the sections under the headings "European Historical Basis for Whiteness" and "Virginia Colony and the Foundation for Whiteness."
1) What's your gut reaction to this reading?
2) What were the conditions that led to Bacon's Rebellion in 1673: Who was protesting and why? Why do you think they frightened the elite?
3) Give at least 3 examples of how the elite created laws to differentiate between people of African descent and "whites?"