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The Secret Behind America's Racial Classifications: Do You Know Their History?
The United States is a multicultural country with a complex racial and ethnic population. At the federal level, race and ethnicity are largely classified separately. The most recent U.S. Census recognizes five racial categories (white, black, Native American/Alaska Native, Asian and Pacific Islander), as well as those who identify as two or more races.
Such a classification system also recognizes the broader concept of ethnicity. The census began asking residents where they were born in the 1990s, and the 2020 census will allow people to enter where they are from.
In addition, the Census Bureau classified respondents as Hispanic or Latino, a division of national identity that remains a minority group nationwide. White Americans are a majority in every census-defined region (such as the Northeast, Midwest, South, and West) except Hawaii, California, Texas, New Mexico, Nevada, and Maryland. Currently, 54% of non-Hispanic whites in the West are defined as minorities, a significant change over the past few decades.
The Evolution of Racial and Ethnic Categories
The first U.S. census in 1790 divided residents into free whites (by age and sex), all other free people (reported by sex and color), and enslaved people. As of 2000, the census officially recognized six racial categories, including people of multiple races.
Racial markers in the United States include more recent definitions such as "white American" and "black or African American," which emphasize the composition of ethnic groups in historical contexts.
Society's definition of race
In the early United States, people of Native American, African, and European ancestry were considered to be separate races. Behind these racial identities are often considerations of political, economic, and social power. Many experts believe these racial categories were designed to concentrate power and wealth in certain white communities. Such a system has little to do with biology and everything to do with a history of slavery, systemic racism, and specific white privilege.
Since the social construction of racial identity, white society has gradually relegated mixed-race children to lower social classes, thereby continuing to concentrate power and resources among them.
Historical relics and their impact on current society
In modern times, the growth of the Hispanic and Latino population in the southwestern United States has brought important changes, with the influence of immigration and high birth rates. The diverse social structure and increasingly complex immigration policies in the United States affect today's racial and ethnic relations.
While these categories cannot scientifically fully explain the reality of racial and ethnic identity, they still retain important symbolic significance in the changing social and cultural landscape.
Today's America faces the challenge of change. From the acceptance of multiculturalism to the reflection on inherent prejudices, each census can bring us a new level of understanding and awareness. The historical background and social relations reflected by these classifications have not only shaped the social structure of contemporary America, but are also constantly influencing future developments.
As we face increasingly complex racial and ethnic relations, how do you think society can redefine these categories to promote greater understanding and inclusion?
