# Do we know where the term “white” as synonym for “Caucasian” originated? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 6, 2026, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-know-where-the-term-white-as-synonym-for-caucasian-originated/1031469 "2026-07-06T20:44:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 21
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-know-where-the-term-white-as-synonym-for-caucasian-originated/1031469/21 "2026-07-09T02:49:03Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > I’m not sure that’s true. At least the idea of a dichotomy between “white” people who are inherently superior to “black” people, and must be kept separate from them, is much later than that. I made a post here talking about bacon’s rebellion and the virginia slave codes, which were designed to dehumanize black people to prevent a white-black alliance against the aristocracy. > [@Bias in moderation is getting out of hand](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bias-in-moderation-is-getting-out-of-hand/1031239/35): > > My goal with writing that was to make this argument. There are lots of marginalized groups in the US, but marginalization against black people was intentionally constructed and as a result is more ingrained. It was constructed after Bacon’s rebellion to prevent any kind of white-black alliance against the aristocrats. The black codes of 1705 were intentionally designed to dehumanize black people so that white people would identity with their skin color, and not their economic class. They wante… But I have no idea how that would apply to any country other than the US. Like the idea of a monolithic white people who are superior to a monolith of all black people, I don’t know how that idea would apply in Canada for example based on the sociopolitical situation in the US. --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-we-know-where-the-term-white-as-synonym-for-caucasian-originated/1031469)._