1735–1800 · intellectual context
Racial ideologySupplement
European human classifications give racial hierarchy a scientific vocabulary
Europe and the Atlantic world
Linnaeus classified humans into geographical varieties in 1735; later editions added stereotypes about character and government. European classification systems helped give racial hierarchy intellectual authority and supported the dehumanization of non-European peoples.
Dates preserve the source’s precision. This entry is part of a selected historical record; its qualifications and sources are retained below.
Context / qualification
The worksheet’s broad 1735–1800 span describes an evolving intellectual tradition, not one law. Linnaeus’s 1735 and 1758 classifications differ. These historical racial categories are not valid biological rankings of people.