The transatlantic slave trade was the first example of "racialised" slavery. Non-whites .
were "rounded up" like animals to work for a so-called superior race. Europeans were .
considered to be inherently superior, civilised, intelligent and rational whilst non-.
Europeans were perceived to be the complete opposite (sub-human, uncivilised, .
animalistic, unintelligent, savages). Slaves didn't have basic human rights (even their .
right to life lay in the hands of their "owner") slaves were commodities and were .
treated like a currency to be treated for other goods.
Racism existed long before the enlightenment period but it did begin to gather pace at .
this period. Philosophers such as David Hume 1753 for example wrote "I am apt to .
suspect the Negroes and in general all other species of men to be inferior to the .
whites". The knock on from comments like this is that throughout the 19th and 20th .
century there was a fear of a decline of civilisation related to white people breeding .
with blacks. The perception of people from ethnic minorities as criminal and .
disorderly has a long history in Britain. People whose skins are not white have been .
seen as a problem for social order, their very presence giving cause for concern.
In 1964 Peter Griffiths, a prospective Tory MP fought an election campaign in .
Smethwick with the slogan "if you want a nigger for a neighbour, vote Labour!" And .
the first women Prime minister was elected on the basis that the flood of immigrants .
would be stopped and that a defence barrier would prevent the tidal wave of .
immigrants flushing out British culture.
It is clear from history that it may well be possible that racism has been ingrained into .
the criminal justice process during the period of Enlightenment and that this "inferior" .
race would be treated differently because of the colour of their skin. Gilroy (1987) .
stated that "stereotypes and popularised images of black people being dangerous were .
