Just a caution about the parents of "mulattoes": they were the children
of mulatto-mulatto and mulatto-black parents, as well as of white-black
and white-mulatto parents. It is also quite likely that some fraction of
the slaves arriving in Virginia from the Caribbean or Africa before 1808
were light-skinned enough to be termed mulatto (simply because of the
color variations on the African continent). Finally, there is the argument
made by Ned Heite and others that the term "mulatto" was applied loosely
in the 19th century to individuals and groups who were not African
American but Native American.

Doug Deal
History/SUNY-Oswego
[log in to unmask]

To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions
at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html