In early 20th century America, people of Irish and Mediterranean descent were not considered "white". This suggests that "whiteness" is not directly related to skin pigmentation or being of European descent.
What steps did those groups have to make in order to become "white"?
What is the consensus among historians as to what American society considered to be "white" at that time?
Assuming "whiteness" is not directly connected to pigmentation or ethnicity, are other traditionally "non-white" groups in the process of becoming "white" (keeping in mind the 20-year rule), such as East Asians?
hi; just ran into your post while searching for something else. You may be interested in these posts on the concept of "white" in the USA
How did the concept of "whiteness" as a racial identity develop and change over time?
When and how did ethnic groups such as Irish and Italians become "White"?
Were Irish people white...in the USA in 1931? (cross-posted from AskReddit)
Before the Irish became "white" in the US, how were people able to distinguish them as "non-white?"