I believe that was the justification in believing Africans were less than human. They were “black/bad” and thus obviously incapable of the intellectual and other higher level abilities that “white/good” people were. Right. We know how awful a whole lot of white people have been to African Americans, American Indians, Mexican Americans, Muslim Americans, the list goes on. I would hardly define “white” as “good.” Skin color doesn’t define whether a person is good or not, we know that. Actions and behaviors do.

Excellent essay, Violet.