CL 02/20

The Hoffman Rhetorical Triangle

Most of the writers were white supremacists and aligned with the ideals of a naturalist plan for the races
Toulmen came up with an almost blueprint for how argument papers should be written in order to be considered for analysis – The Toulmen Method

Hoffman’s claim or thesis seems to be that intermixing the races is unnatural and scientifically inferior on both planes of the differing races; inferior physically and in every other way.
“On the basis of these observations, the conclusion is warranted, that the mixed race is physically the inferior of the white and pure black, and as a result of this inferior degree of vital power we meet with a lesser degree of resistance to disease and death among the mixed population, in contrast with the more favorable condition prevailing among the whites and pure blacks” (PvF p. 83)
Hoffman seems to circle back to this assertion that interbreeding the races will lead to inferiority among the offspring to such a degree that they are more vulnerable to death and disease and seem to lack basic hygiene to sustain healthy conditions such as their parents of pure white or pure white descent.
The unstated yet prevalent views in this passage are obviously that of white supremacists and naturalists; given that in the following paragraph on the same page (83) he states that the only reason the mulatto generation seems to have a higher intelligence level than that of pure black generations is because of “a consequence of the infusion of white blood” (PvF 84). Given that these beliefs are so heavily woven among the piece, I would stand to argue that this connects to the evidence by proving how intensely interwoven those beliefs were into the society at the time period.

Class Notes:
- Intermixing is bad: Law of Similarities, that both races understood that intermingling was bad for both races involved, could even lead to their downfall. (His own assertion)