The roots of racism By Jenni Bailey M odern anti-black British racism has relatively recent roots, in the history of slavery and colonialism. R acism did not start as a divideand-rule trick imposed by the ruling class. Then, they began thinking of them as subhuman.
T hat is the natural way of things for slave owners.
When Britain conquered territories and peoples and assumed the right to rule and make decisions for them, then British people began to believe those peoples were inferior. T he roots of modern racism can be traced back to the planter class of slave owners. Although fear and suspicion of the stranger and the outsider had existed before, it had not been fear on the basis of skin colour. T he ancient Egyptians looked down on the black peoples to their south, but they were just as scornful of other, lighter skinned, neighbours. Egyptian artists caricatured the captives taken in war - but the peculiar dress of the Libyans or Hebrews was held up for ridicule as much as the features of the black southerners.