Copper Colored Is Not Made Up | The Receipts

[00:00:00]This is my reminder letting you guys know that the term copper colored was never something that was made up. Well, maybe made up by Europeans, but definitely not made up by black presenting indigenous people.

[00:00:15]And whether you want to acknowledge it or not, copper is not exclusive to just one range of color.

[00:00:23]Furthermore, according to the American Dictionary of the English Language, as you can see here, American was originally applied to the aboriginals or copper colored races found here by Europeans, but now applied to the descendants of Europeans born in America.

[00:00:41]Also, according to the United States 1850 Census schedule from Taos Pueblo, New Mexico Territory, indigenous Americans are enumerated as copper.

[00:00:54]I almost forgot to mention.

[00:00:57]From the book Primary Geography for Children by Catherine and Harriet Beecher in 1833, they also mention calling indigenous people copper colored.

[00:01:10]It says, and I quote, "Before the white people came over to America, it had many tribes of people in it. Some of these tribes still remain in the United States and in the countries north of it and in South America. These form what are called the American race. They have copper colored skin, long black hair, small dark eyes, and very thick lips and broad noses."

[00:01:37]And just like the actual copper metal, the color has range.

[00:01:44]A new penny is bright reddish orange.

[00:01:48]An older penny is a deep reddish brown.

[00:01:53]Oxidized copper is a dark bronze, as you can see here.

[00:02:00]They are all still copper, and the same logic applies to people as well.

[00:02:06]So, when I call myself or other eumelanated Americans copper-colored, I am basing it off on historical records, not feelings.

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