[Windflier]

...there doesn’t seem to be a convential naming system back then for people other than ‘white’.

Oh yes there was. Ask anyone who was born prior to 1960. The conventions for designating race on birth certificates goes back a very long way in America.

I was born in 1953, at a time when American blacks called themselves 'colored'. The term 'negro' was only just coming into fashion, and didn't really take hold until later that decade.

That didn't stop the Army doctors from putting 'negro' on my birth certificate. It was already an established racial designation.

[hoosiermama]

Negro comes from the Latin word for black IIrC. Years ago in Latin class we were taught the N word meant impure black and was used by the field slaves against the house slaves who were often off-springs of the “master”.

[Herbster]

Negro-Hawaii-1950

[little jeremiah]

Comments and photos are getting very interesting on this thread, especially in the 400s comments.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/bloggers/2908395/posts?page=485

There was a dustup, and now FN is unleashing a lot of stuff. Riveting.