'If he be a white man, and assigned to a colored coach, he may have his action for damages against the company for being deprived of his so-called property. Upon the other hand, if he be a colored man and be so assigned, he has been deprived of no property, since he is not lawfully … Continue reading Reputation of Being a White Man
Whiteness
Whiteness as Property
"In James Madison's view, for example, 'property embraces everything to which a man may attach value and have a right'...Whiteness defined the legal status of a person as slave or free. White identity conferred tangible and economically valuable benefits and was jealously guarded as a valued possession, allowed only to those who met a strict … Continue reading Whiteness as Property
Whiteness defined by “Common Man”
The U.S. Naturalization Act of 1790 specified that citizenship was available only to “free white persons of good moral character.” In United States vs. Bhagat Singh Thind (1923) SCOTUS argued that whiteness was defined by the understanding of “the common man.” “In other words, the Court conceded that definitions of whiteness are predicated upon common … Continue reading Whiteness defined by “Common Man”
Virginia Avniel Spatz 