Racial ideology in the US is based on the one drop rule. The original purpose of this rule was to

• A. Promote racial integration
• B. Maintain power and property in the hands of white men
• C. Simplify census counts
• D. Ensure equal rights

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is how racial categorization was used to sustain white power and social control. The one-drop rule defined whiteness in the most exclusive way: if a person had any African ancestry, they were classified as non-white. This was a deliberate tool to keep political, legal, and economic dominance in the hands of white men. By making whiteness the default status and tightly controlling who could be seen as white, laws and social practices could restrict rights, deny access to property and voting, and enforce segregation. So the rule’s original purpose was to preserve white supremacy and the advantages that came with it, not to promote integration, simplify census counts, or secure equal rights.