In the United States, the word racism first appears in print in the early 1900s. An American Army officer, Lieutenant Richard Henry Pratt, used the term in 1902 at a Lake Mohonk conference to denounce the segregation of Native Americans . (Pratt is pictured above.) He argued that “segregating any class or race of people…kills the progress… Association of races and classes is necessary to destroy racism and classism” . This 1902 speech was published in 1903 by the Lake Mohonk Conference proceedings, and is cited by the Oxford English Dictionary as the earliest English usage . Merriam-Webster likewise notes “First known use: 1902” . No earlier usage of “racism” has been found in British sources; 19th- and early 20th-century British writers instead used terms like “racialism,” “race hatred,” or “race prejudice.”
- 1902 (US): Richard H. Pratt coins racism in a speech (published 1903) to criticize racial segregation . This is the first recorded instance of “racism” in English.
- 1903 (US): Lake Mohonk Conference proceedings (NY) publish Pratt’s remark. The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) cites this as the first evidence of racism .
- Early 1900s (UK): British discourse on race used “racialism” (an older term) and phrases like “race hatred”. (OED notes racialism in 1902, and only starts citing “racism” around 1903 .) The term “racism” itself did not become common in Britain until the 1930s–40s.
Dictionary Adoption and Definitions
- British English (OED): The Oxford English Dictionary’s earliest entry for racism is dated 1903 (from the Lake Mohonk source) . In OED’s 1989 second edition, racism was defined as “the theory that distinctive human characteristics and abilities are determined by race,” equated with “belief in the superiority of a particular race” . (OED also notes racialism as an older synonym .)
- American English (Merriam-Webster): Until the late 1930s, racism did not even appear in U.S. dictionaries. Merriam-Webster’s 1934 unabridged dictionary had no entry for racism (it included only racialism) . In 1938 a staff editor noticed this omission, and an addendum entry for racism first appeared in Webster’s Unabridged (New International) in 1939 .
- Definitional shifts: The 1961 Merriam-Webster (3rd ed.) defined racism primarily as a belief in racial superiority, with secondary senses for institutional bias . By contrast, a recent Merriam-Webster update (2020) still gives the first sense as personal prejudice, but has revised its second sense to emphasize systemic oppression: “the systemic oppression of a racial group… specifically: white supremacy” . In other words, modern dictionaries now highlight both individual bias and broader structural racism.
Historical and Sociopolitical Context
- Early 20th-century race theories: The coining of racism occurred amid debates over scientific racism, imperialism, and race relations. Pratt’s 1902 usage reflects American debates on assimilation versus segregation of Native Americans. In Europe, notions of racial hierarchy were mainstream, but the word racism was not yet in common parlance.
- 1930s – fascism and Nazism: The term grew in currency as journalists and scholars described Nazi ideology. By the late 1930s, writers often used racism (sometimes in scare quotes) to refer to Hitler’s regime. Jesuit priest John LaFarge Jr. spoke out against “the destructive forces of racism” in 1938 . After World War II, racism came to carry “supremacist connotations” previously associated with racialism , explicitly implying discrimination and intent to harm. (One observer notes that the word’s popular use “came into widespread usage in the 1930s… to describe… Nazism” .)
- Civil rights and decolonization: In the mid-20th century, activists in the U.S., Britain, and elsewhere adopted racism to critique segregation, colonialism, and discrimination. For example, the U.S. civil-rights movement used racism alongside terms like “white supremacy.” In Britain, anti-colonial and race-relations campaigns led to the 1965/68 Race Relations Acts, reflecting the term’s entry into public discourse. By the 1960s–70s, academics were talking about “institutional racism”, expanding its meaning beyond personal prejudice .
Evolution of Meaning
- Original sense: Early uses focused on ideology or policy. Pratt and dictionary definitions described racism as an assumption of inherent racial traits and superiority . This aligned with 1930s dictionary entries (e.g. referring to “Nazi assumption of… superiority” ).
- Broader usage: Over time, racism came to encompass any hostility or discrimination based on race. By mid-20th century, definitions included both personal prejudice and practiced discrimination. For instance, Merriam-Webster’s 1939 entry (and 1961 entry) talked about “inherent racial superiority” and “consequent discrimination” . Britain’s OED (1989) noted racism as synonymous with racial supremacy .
- Modern sense: In recent decades the concept has broadened further. Scholars distinguish racisms (plural) to capture varied forms. Dictionaries now often list multiple senses (personal belief, institutional system, etc.). For example, Merriam-Webster’s current definitions emphasize not only biases but also “systemic oppression” . Public usage has likewise expanded: today “racism” can mean anything from an insulting remark to entrenched social inequality.
Key Milestones and References
- 1902–1903: Pratt’s usage (American sources) as earliest citation .
- 1935: Nazi Nuremberg Laws and Kristallnacht (press references to “Nazism” as racial ideology) .
- 1938–39: Merriam-Webster adds racism to its Unabridged dictionary (in addenda) .
- 1939: Jesuit John LaFarge warns of rising racism in America at a Catholic Council dinner .
- 1961: Merriam-Webster 3rd ed. formally defines racism with multiple senses (ideology, prejudice) .
- 1960s: Civil-rights era – wide use of racism in media and law (e.g. U.S. Civil Rights Act 1964; UK Race Relations Acts) calls out discriminatory practices. Around this time Stokely Carmichael popularizes “institutional racism” (cited by scholars).
- 1989: OED (2nd ed.) entry defines racism as belief in racial superiority .
- 2014–2020: Media articles and lexicographers revisit racism’s meaning: NPR and linguists highlight its origin , and in 2020 Merriam-Webster updates its definition to stress systemic racism .
Each stage above is documented in dictionaries, historical records, or academic studies. For example, Ben Zimmer’s Atlantic article traces the term’s dictionary history , and NLP sources note the 1902 origin . Together, these show how racism has evolved from a rare political term into a broad concept encompassing both personal prejudice and structural injustice.
Sources: Historical quotes and dates are drawn from primary reports (e.g. Pratt’s 1902 address ), dictionary records (Oxford English Dictionary , Merriam-Webster ), and linguistic accounts (e.g. Zimmer 2020 , NPR/AllThingsLinguistic 2014 , Wikipedia summaries ). These highlight the key dates and shifts in usage.