One-drop rule
The "one-drop rule" in American race relations is the colloquial term for the standard that held that a person with even one drop of black blood was classified as an African-American.The "rule" still influences the U.S. today--by de facto American color standards, a multiracial person with black heritage is considered black until they preemptively declare themselves otherwise--identifying, instead as white or Native American, for example. (This stands in contrast to Brazilian color standards, for example.)
The one-drop rule is a product of the American slavery system--it widened the pool of possible slaves, and reduced the possibility (horrifying to racist whites) that over generations African-Americans would drift into the white column.
It was codified in law in some places and held cultural sway in others. For example, as cited in the Loving v. Virginia decision[1], Virginia law (Racial Integrity Law of 1924) held that "Every person in whom there is ascertainable any Negro blood shall be deemed and taken to be a colored person, and every person not a colored person having one fourth or more of American Indian blood shall be deemed an American Indian; except that members of Indian tribes existing in this Commonwealth having one fourth or more of Indian blood and less than one sixteenth of Negro blood shall be deemed tribal Indians."
Racial classifications were highly specific in the Old South, so much so that there were names for various fractional racial combinations: Mulatto, octoroon, sambo, Metif, mustee, Sang-mele, et al.[1]
See also: passing, racial purity
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