Darwin's Racism

Despite some modern attempts to portray Charles Darwin as the abolitionist champion of equality in the 19th century, this isn’t entirely accurate. This belief usually originates from his work On the Origin of Species, which focused on the general differences in the species of animals, as humans were not thoroughly discussed until he published The Descent of Man in 1871. Although he was a progressive man who despised slavery , he was no less racist than the general population of his time. This is exemplified by the letters written by a creationist contemporary of Darwin’s named Louis Agassiz , who, in theory, should have sided with the church in their position of abolition and equality. A general sense of the magnitudes of racism can be
His suggestions, however, are not entirely met with agreement, which is shown from a rejoinder written by Gilbert Malcolm Sproat, in which he denies that the majority, if any, of the assertions Galton creates about the Chinese are true. He states that he has found many Africans to be good company and workers, making up in hard work and thriftiness for what they lack in “petty ingenuity .” Men such as Sproat were most likely the first to accept the ideas of more forward thinkers, such as Darwin. While many believed that there was a separate inception of the races, Darwin proposed that we all originated from the same genesis, and simply evolved differently from a common ancestor. In accordance with this type of thinking, Darwin condemns the idea of treating the slaves as property, stating in a letter to Asa Gray that he is a firm believer in abolition. He notes the disgust and contempt with which he viewed the treatment of slaves, especially those in Brazil. This is particularly emphasized when he recounts his attempt at having a discussion with a black ferryman, who, when a hand was raised in what seemed to be a threatening way, simply lowered his hands in fear and defeat. He states: “I shall never forget my feelings of surprise, disgust, and shame, at seeing a great powerful man afraid even to ward off a blow, directed, as he thought, at his face. This man had been