By hypodescent, people of even partial African ancestry were classified socially below whites. By the late 18th century, there were numerous families of majority-white slaves, such as the mixed-race …

Hypodescent definition: the classifying or identifying of a biracial or multiracial individual as a member of the lower or lowest socially ranking racial group from which that person has ancestry..

For years, racial classification in America was determined – for African Americans – on the basis of hypodescent or the “one drop” rule. The hypodescent rule meant that any degree of African ancestry …

Hypodescent is a social rule that determines the racial identity of offspring from interracial unions, particularly between European Americans and individuals from various racial and ethnic backgrounds.

Hypodescent is a social and legal principle that assigns a person of mixed racial heritage to the racial group of their lower-status parent, regardless of the individual's own identity or cultural affiliation.

Hence, the word hypodescent, which is a concept belonging to the field of anthropology, means that if an individual is born out of ancestry of multiple racial identities, then they would be...

May 28, 2025 · Hypodescent, the practice of assigning a child of mixed ancestry to the racial or ethnic group with the lower social status, has played a significant role in shaping American law and society.

Noun [edit] hypodescent (uncountable) The practice of classifying a child of mixed race ancestry into the less socially dominant of the parents' races.

Hypodescent is a principle of racial classification that automatically assigns individuals of mixed ancestry to the subordinate racial or ethnic group in a given social hierarchy.

It is an example of hypodescent, the automatic assignment of children of a mixed union between different socioeconomic or ethnic groups to the group with the lower status, regardless of proportion …