Question 1

In a chapter in Darkwater (1920), the first extended analysis of whiteness in the social science literature, W.E.B. Du Bois discusses racial emotions. What are racial emotions?

Accepted Answer

Racial emotions refer to the specific feelings and attitudes that are tied to an individual's racial identity or the racial identity of others. These emotions can include feelings of pride, shame, anger, fear, or empathy based on one's own racial background or the racial background of others. In the context of W.E.B. Du Bois' analysis in Darkwater, racial emotions likely encompass the complex and often conflicting emotions experienced by individuals as a result of their racial identity within a society that is structured by systems of racial inequality and oppression. Du Bois' examination of racial emotions likely delves into the psychological and social impact of racism and the ways in which it shapes individuals' experiences and perceptions.

Question 2

Recent government data indicate that black full-time workers earn about the same per week (median weekly earnings) as white full-time workers.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  False

Question 3

The white male elite delegates at the 1787 Constitutional Convention have all the following in common EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

A)   they are all men of European origin.
B)   most of the 55 men are well-off by the standards of their day.
C)   at least 40 percent of them have been or are slaveowners.
D)   none of them profit from commerce in slave-produced agricultural products or by supplying provisions to slaveholders and slave traders. D

Question 4

Joe Feagin and Kimberley Ducey write: "The harsh reality of slavery conditions and the often death-dealing slave trade hung over the convention like a demonic specter." Explain.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Joe Feagin and Kimberley Ducey write: "The...

Question 5

The social and political system the "founders" created was riddled with contradictions that have surfaced repeatedly over the course of U.S. history. Discuss.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The social and political system the "founders"...

Question 6

On key votes, why did most northern delegations vote with southern delegations?

Accepted Answer

The answer of On key votes, why did most northern...

Question 7

Of whom was President Thomas Jefferson speaking when he wrote: "This unfortunate race, whom we had been taking so much pains to save and to civilize, have by their unexpected desertion and ferocious barbarities justified extermination and now await our decision on their fate"?

Accepted Answer

A)   African Americas
B)   Asian Americans
C)   Immigrant newcomers
D)   Native Americans
E)   The Win Tribe ("Mongrel Virginians")

Question 8

Historically, most white workers and most white women have been interested in building unity of identity and protest with, respectively, black workers or black women across the color line.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

Not one of the 55 delegates advocated that the abolition of slavery and freedom for all Americans should be an integral part of the new Constitution.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

By the late 1960s, many white scholars and analysts were moving in the direction of accenting institutional racism.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

The words "slave" and "slavery" do NOT appear in the Constitution's sections dealing with slavery.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

No delegate questioned the three fifths compromise.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

In the U.S., class consciousness among white workers has to a substantial degree been lessened by a very strong racial consciousness among white workers. Explain.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In the U.S., class consciousness among white...

Question 14

The white "founders" did occasionally display guilt over slavery. James Madison, for example, argued that it would be wrong to state openly in the U.S. Constitution the "idea that there could be property in men."

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

Explain how unjustly gained wealth and privileges for white Amercians are often linked directly to economic impoverishment for black Americans.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain how unjustly gained wealth and privileges...

Question 16

Explain how slavery was central at the 1787 Constitutional Convention, including James Madison's emphasis on slave/not-slave divisions among the states.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain how slavery was central at the...

Question 17

Some states did not ratify the new document arising from the 1787 Constitutional Convention until their ratifiers were persuaded that a democratic Bill of Rights would be added.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

Drawing on the vignette of "negro John" and "negro Mary" (no last name) versus the white twins "William Smith" and "Priscilla Smith," explain how racial oppression is economically and systematically constructed over time. Be sure to include in your discussion how the termination of slavery and gains from the civil rights movements did not end the large-scale oppression faced by John's and Mary's descendants.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Drawing on the vignette of "negro John"...

Question 19

Political liberals among the "founders," including those opposed to importing more enslaved Africans, argued that other "founders'" preferences for "lovely white" people was racist.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

Joe Feagin and Kimberley Ducey write: "Enslaved blacks were to be counted as human beings only when it suited whites to do so. Otherwise, they were just white property." Explain.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Joe Feagin and Kimberley Ducey write: "Enslaved...

Exam 1: Systemic Racism-A Comprehensive Perspective

In a chapter in Darkwater (1920), the first extended analysis of whiteness in the social science literature, W.E.B. Du Bois discusses racial emotions. What are racial emotions?

Recent government data indicate that black full-time workers earn about the same per week (median weekly earnings) as white full-time workers.

The white male elite delegates at the 1787 Constitutional Convention have all the following in common EXCEPT:

Joe Feagin and Kimberley Ducey write: "The harsh reality of slavery conditions and the often death-dealing slave trade hung over the convention like a demonic specter." Explain.

The social and political system the "founders" created was riddled with contradictions that have surfaced repeatedly over the course of U.S. history. Discuss.

On key votes, why did most northern delegations vote with southern delegations?

Of whom was President Thomas Jefferson speaking when he wrote: "This unfortunate race, whom we had been taking so much pains to save and to civilize, have by their unexpected desertion and ferocious barbarities justified extermination and now await our decision on their fate"?

Historically, most white workers and most white women have been interested in building unity of identity and protest with, respectively, black workers or black women across the color line.

Not one of the 55 delegates advocated that the abolition of slavery and freedom for all Americans should be an integral part of the new Constitution.

By the late 1960s, many white scholars and analysts were moving in the direction of accenting institutional racism.

The words "slave" and "slavery" do NOT appear in the Constitution's sections dealing with slavery.

No delegate questioned the three fifths compromise.

In the U.S., class consciousness among white workers has to a substantial degree been lessened by a very strong racial consciousness among white workers. Explain.

The white "founders" did occasionally display guilt over slavery. James Madison, for example, argued that it would be wrong to state openly in the U.S. Constitution the "idea that there could be property in men."

Explain how unjustly gained wealth and privileges for white Amercians are often linked directly to economic impoverishment for black Americans.

Explain how slavery was central at the 1787 Constitutional Convention, including James Madison's emphasis on slave/not-slave divisions among the states.

Some states did not ratify the new document arising from the 1787 Constitutional Convention until their ratifiers were persuaded that a democratic Bill of Rights would be added.

Political liberals among the "founders," including those opposed to importing more enslaved Africans, argued that other "founders'" preferences for "lovely white" people was racist.

Joe Feagin and Kimberley Ducey write: "Enslaved blacks were to be counted as human beings only when it suited whites to do so. Otherwise, they were just white property." Explain.