In their attempt to ensure white supremacy decades after emancipation, in the early 20th century, most southern states created laws based on the one-drop rule, defining as black, persons with any known African ancestry. This was a stricter interpretation than what had prevailed in the 19th century; it ignored the many mixed families in the state and went against commonly accepted social rules of judging a person by appearance and association. Some courts called it "the traceable amount rule." Anthropologists called it an example of a hypodescent rule, meaning that racially mixed persons were assigned the status of the socially subordinate group.
In their attempt to ensure white supremacy decades after emancipation , in the early 20th century , most southern states created laws based on the one - drop rule , defining as black , persons with any known African ancestry . This was a stricter interpretation than what had prevailed in the 19th century ; it ignored the many mixed families in the state and went against commonly accepted social rules of judging a person by appearance and association . Some courts called it " the traceable amount rule . " Anthropologists called it an example of a hypodescent rule , meaning that racially mixed persons were assigned the status of the socially subordinate group .
When was the one-drop rule in effect?
When was the one - drop rule in effect ?
in the early 20th century
in the early 20th century