Foner ascertains early on in this chapter that race is a changeable perception; it has no basics in genetics, but rather measures one’s ability to pass as a feature the natural landscape’s social/cultural construct. For example, Jews and Italians were previously excluded from the “white” race, but as the cultural context of NYC shifted, so did the definition of “white.” Last semester in English 110 my class read James Baldwin’s “Language of the Streets” in which he argues that all immigrants come to America and try to be white (in his case, to disassociate with blacks; you could only be one or the other). He argued they would drop all of their customs and languages to be ‘white,’ however Foner mentions that the Jewish population had “racial features” which made them in-assimilable. In “Race and Religion” we read an account where somebody also claimed the Jewish “race is always conspicuous,” although a study by Dr. Maurice Fishberg shows that only 14% of Jewish immigrants had the “Jewish nose.” While Foner mentions “No Jews of Dogs Admitted Here” signs discriminated against those who were not “white”, she less so acknowledges the “No Irish Need Apply” signs that targeted an extremely white race. Similarly, I disagree with Foner’s blanket statement claiming genetic arguments about inferior race directly led to immigration restrictions. No doubt prejudice existed but there were several other factors (e.g. economic) and federal laws were not passed on racism alone. The stronger negative connotation that goes along with race has changed the tone regarding immigration restriction and has made it a much more sensitive issue.

There is, however, no doubt that “being white” was seen as a plus, but I could not understand how it is one “becomes white.” In regards to Hispanics, I was immediately reminded of “Race and Religion”— the Hispanic community has this ambiguity in the sense that they share a common language and ethnicity all while being composed of different ancestries, countries, and races. You were Hispanic “no matter how blonde or blue eyed,” though these are characteristics typical to somebody of the white race. I found it most interesting that Asians, who share less physical similarities to whites than their “blonde and blue eyed” Hispanic counterparts, “became” most white. Foner speculates that “white” may grow to encompass Asians and light-skinned Hispanics. What exactly is white then?! Is race something that can be seen or something that requires further investigation? It seems that being white at this point is just as ambiguous as Jewish or Hispanic.