Race and the Concept of Progress in Nineteenth Century American Ethnology

Abstract

While nineteenth century American ethnologists relied on the word “evolution” more than the word “progress” to define their theory of culture, their theory of evolution nonetheless implied a teleological projection that was no more than a paeon for Anglo‐Saxon race achievement. Believing that failures in earlier stages of evolution had limited brain size and quality of the “inferior races,” they suggested that, for all practical purposes, the Caucasian was the lone man in evolution. While the Caucasian maintained an active, progressive role in modifying the environment, the lower races broke into the modern world as mere “survivals” from the past, mentally and physiologically unable to shoulder the burdens of complex civilization. Ethnology became a means through which both scientists and social scientists sought to estimate the relative value of the races, delineate social categories, and help justify the dynamics of race legislation.