In the last two decades of the 18th century, the theory of polygenism, the belief that different races had evolved separately in each continent and shared no common ancestor, was advocated in England by historian Edward Long and anatomist Charles White, in Germany by ethnographers Christoph Meiners and Georg Forster, and in France by Julien-Joseph Virey. In the US, Samuel George Morton, Josiah Nott and Louis Agassiz promoted this theory in the mid-nineteenth century. Polygenism was popular and most widespread in the 19th century, culminating in the founding of the Anthropological Society of London (1863) during the period of the American Civil War, in opposition to the Ethnological Society, which had abolitionist sympathies. COUNT 5
QSN1 What theory is the belief that differences races had evolved independently on each continent? ANS1 polygenism QSN2 What country did Edward Long and Charles White advocated the belief of polygenism in? ANS2 England QSN3 What was the profession of Christoph Meiners and Georg Forster? ANS3 ethnographers QSN4 In what century was polygenism most widespread? ANS4 19th century QSN5 The Ethnological Society was sympathetic towards what cause? ANS5 abolitionist