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'Quadroon', 'octoroon' and, more rarely, 'quintroon' were historically racial categories of hypodescent used in Latin America and parts of the 19th century Southern United States, particularly Louisiana.
''Quadroon'' is someone of one quarter black ancestry. The word "quadroon" comes from the Spanish ''cuarterón'' "quarter".
''Octoroon'' means someone who is one eighth black.
''Quintroon'' means the fifth generation of black ancestry. (''quint-'' here implying "fifth generation").
''Hexadecaroon'' is a less common term to described a person of one sixteenth black ancestry. The terms were also used in Australia to refer to people of mixed Aboriginal and European ancestry.

Contents

Culture and law

In popular culture

See also

Culture and law

This cultural classification differed somewhat from the "one-drop theory" current in most of the United States, in that it recognized a higher social status for black-descended persons by degree of majority white ancestry. Nevertheless, persons of minority black ancestry in these cultures were still heavily discriminated against and often subject to slavery.
In the United States, the Jim Crow laws generally followed the "one-drop theory"; hence the case of Homer Plessy, a Louisiana man of one-eighth black ancestry who was prevented from sitting in a railroad car reserved for whites.
By the latter 20th century, these terms had almost totally faded from use, being generally considered racist and obsolete.

In popular culture

★ Quadroons and octoroons of the tragic mulatta archetype were a popular subject of 19th century literature, such as in the stories of George Washington Cable, and through early 20th century cinema, as in the films ''The Octoroon'' and ''The White Slave; or, The Octoroon'', both released in 1913.

★ American musician Laura Love has embraced the label "octoroon", and released an 1997 album entitled ''Octoroon''.

★ The first season of ''MADtv'' included a popular sketch entitled "The Octoroon." Memorable quotes include: "Once you go octoroon, you'll be wanting more soon!"

★ In Walter Mosley's book, ''Futureland: Nine Stories of an Imminent World'', a plague released by a fascist group to eliminate black people is instead mutated and infects and kills anyone who is less than 12.5% (one-eighth) black.

★ An episode of the FX Networks series ''Nip/Tuck'' dealt with a Neo-Nazi girl discovering that her mother is an octoroon, making her a quintroon; in an attempt to hide the fact from her father, she subsequently disfigured herself while trying to bleach her skin whiter.

★ Poet Ogden Nash used the term ''Octoroon Coffee'' to indicate a very weak brew.

★ Alexander Pushkin, the founder of modern Russian literature, was an octoroon.

★ In an episode of Stella (TV Series), Michael Ian Black mentions that David Wain is an octoroon, and that he is having trouble admitting it.

★ In The Awakening (Kate Chopin), it mentions a quadroon nurse who tends to the children.

★ Dr. Derek Martin, of Southern Illinois University-Carbondale refers to the fact that he is a quadroon during lectures on his national tour.

See also

★ List of terms for multiraciality

★ Racial purity

★ Passing (racial identity)

★ Multiracial

★ Mulatto

★ Colorism