how or who first used the words "white", "black", "yellow" (refering to race) and why?

Question

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_metaphors_for_race

Answer 1

I've studied the origins of this and one of the first people to classify people into 5 different colors was Johann Friedrich Blumenbach, an 18th century German anthropologist. He said all people fall under 5 classes which according to Webster's dictionary in 1891 included "the white, or Caucasian race", "the yellow, or Mongolian race", "the black or the Ethiopian/***** race", "the American red race", and "the brown Malay race". Around the time of Blumenbach and up until the early to mid 20th century, many anthropologists and biologists have been trying to find genetic or biological differences between different races to try to prove white superiority and the inferiority of all other races. Many tests included measurements of skulls and other parts of the body, which resulted in the whites in between blacks and asians and these racist scientists could not prove their racist theories.

so in response to jenab6, there ISN'T "such thing called race", because all people have the same genetic makeup. We all just happen to have different colors of skin, which is only differences in pigment. You wouldn't say that blondes are a different species than brunettes or blue-eyed people to brown-eyed people. Race is a social construct, something that people made up for their own reasons, and it's something that we have to deal with today.

Answer 2

I have no idea. But in a way it's unfortunate that the races became tagged by skin color. Race is much more than skin color.

There are differences in skull size and shape, in brain weight to body weight ratio, in the length of the arms in proportion to the torso, in the distribution of body fat, in the way tendons and ligaments are connected to the muscles and bones, in the balance of the hormone secretions. The races even have somewhat different nutritional requirements.

Skin color is merely one of the more visible correlates of race.

Any liberal who tells you that there's no such thing as race, or that there's only one race the human race, is lying. It's a whopping big propaganda lie that seems to have begun in Europe about the time of the French Revolution and gathered momentum over the years. The "herd," always the stupidest but most numerous of human mentalities, kept repeating that lie to each other and getting praised for it.

Want to get a reputation as an intellectual the easy way? Go around saying what everybody "knows." No work or study is needed. Just repeat conventional beliefs at people over and over again, and you'll get your reputation, and it doesn't matter how many of your utterances are false.

Answer 3

Bigots. In order to group people into large classifications. It also applies to nationalities such as the Polish, Irish, and many others. To group such large amounts of people together made it easier to identify falts and differences.

Answer 4

White-referring to white people
Black- referring to black people
Yellow- referring to a coward or someone lazy

These are used all because of characteristics, skin tones and race.

Answer 5

I believe you just might find that in The Bible. Why don't you look and see?

EDIT:

BTW: wiki is good only for a quickie!

Other than The Bible, try:

The Chinese
Native Americans
Africans
etc.

Answer 6

People during the post-colonial era they begin classifying people by the color as their skin.

Answer 7

Most likely early European settlers to describe races other than there own.

Answer 8

Probably.....most likely, the "white" man.

Answer 9

the news media

Answer 10

the muthaf*ckin hicks and cowboys.