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British Physician and Surgeon



Who: Charles White (1728–1813)


What: Authored works that claimed the inherent inferiority of Black people.


When: Late 18th century


Details: Charles White's book "An Account of the Regular Gradation in Man" (1799)

argued that Black people were a separate species, closer to apes than to white people. He used measurements of skulls and other body parts to justify his claims of racial hierarchy, arguing that Europeans were superior.


Why and How It Was Racist: White's pseudoscientific claims provided a justification for the enslavement and mistreatment of Black people, reinforcing the belief in white supremacy.


Sources: White, Charles (1799), An Account of the Regular Gradation in Man, and in different Animals and Vegetables, C. Dilly

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