Color line (racism) facts for kids

The term color line describes the way people were separated based on their race. It first appeared in the United States after slavery ended. This separation was called racial segregation.

Famous thinkers like Frederick Douglass and W. E. B. Du Bois wrote about the color line. Today, the phrase still refers to racial discrimination and how people are treated differently because of their race. This includes issues that continued even after the Civil Rights Movement.

History of the Color Line

Where the Phrase Began

It's hard to say exactly when the phrase "the color line" first started. But it became common in newspapers during the Reconstruction era. This was the time after the American Civil War. The phrase often described the separation between Black and white people.

For example, in 1869, a newspaper in Richmond, Virginia, used "color line" to talk about two candidates for governor. Many newspapers in former slave states used the term in the 1870s, especially when discussing elections.

In 1881, Frederick Douglass published an article called "The Color Line." He said the color line was like a moral sickness. He argued strongly against it. Later, in 1900, W. E. B. Du Bois and others at the First Pan-African Conference declared: "The problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the colour-line."

Du Bois and the Color Line

W. E. B. Du Bois helped make the idea of the color line very famous. He wrote about it in his 1899 book, The Philadelphia Negro. He talked about how Black and white people interacted in Philadelphia. Du Bois noted that Black people often faced rude treatment. Friendships rarely crossed this "color line."

In his 1903 book, The Souls of Black Folk, Du Bois used the phrase many times. In the introduction, he wrote: "The problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of color line." He repeated this idea in other parts of the book. He said this problem affected people in Asia, Africa, America, and islands around the world. This showed he believed the color line was a global issue.

Du Bois's Changing Ideas

Many years later, in 1952, Du Bois wrote about how his understanding of the "color line" had changed. He visited Poland and saw the remains of the Warsaw Ghetto. This was a place where Jewish people were forced to live during World War II.

Seeing the ghetto helped him understand the problem of race in America better. He realized that the problem wasn't just about skin color. It was also about prejudice and hate that affected many different kinds of people. He understood that discrimination existed everywhere. It wasn't just a Black versus white issue.

The Color Line in Books and Writing

The phrase "the color line" appears in many books from the 20th century. Langston Hughes, a famous writer, used it in his autobiography. He wrote that in Cleveland, a city known for being open-minded, the color line became stronger. Theaters and restaurants started refusing to serve Black people. Landlords also charged Black tenants much higher rents.

Many people use the phrase "the problem of the color-line" to talk about issues only in the United States. However, Du Bois himself said the problem extended to other parts of the world. He believed it was a universal issue of separation based on race.

The Color Line Today

The phrase "color line" is still used today in everyday talk and in serious discussions. For example, Newsweek magazine published an article called "The Problem of the Color Line." It discussed ongoing racial discrimination in the United States.

PBS also created a TV series called America Beyond the Color Line. This series explored African American communities across the United States. The continued use of the phrase shows that racial separation and inequality still exist. It highlights both legal separation from the past and the unfair differences in life for Black Americans today.

The term also became popular during the rise of Pentecostalism. At the Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles (1906-1909), a journalist named Frank Bartleman said: "The 'color line' was washed away in the blood." This meant that in this religious gathering, racial barriers seemed to disappear.