Foner draws attention to the deeply rooted sentiments of racial prejudice that existed in America during the first wave of immigration.  Justification for such racism hinged upon the idea of scientific racism, which used biological principles to supposedly prove the superiority of the white race.  Works such as Madison Grant’s The Passing of the Great Race reiterate these ideas, and serve as testaments to the strength of these bigoted views.  Grant even expresses a fear that racial mixing would dilute the purity of the Nordic race.  Such attitudes, coupled with biological explanations, worked to institutionalize racism.  The distinction that race is imposed by people, despite the fact that it does not truly exist, is perhaps Foner’s most important point.  It is also important to note that racial hierarchy stems from a history of immigration laws in the US that fostered such sentiments.

I find it interesting that this line of thinking – one in which lighter skin color is preferred – is prevalent in other races, as well; for example, South and East Asian cultures market skin-whitening creams, and value individuals who are lighter in color for their fair complexion.

Conversely, the immigrants of today are those “of color” (142), as Foner describes.  It is, however, interesting to note that the black-white distinction exists even today, whereas Italians and Jews who were previously considered as ‘other’, rather than white, were able to gain acceptance into this racial classification.  Foner attributes this change to the amelioration in socioeconomic status of these immigrants.  As they settled and progressively elevated their financial status, these immigrants seem to become ‘whiter’.