In 1901, William Edward Burghardt Du Bois asserted that “the problem of the 20th century is the problem of the color line” (DuBois, 1901), which categorizes individuals by their physical characteristics alone. He set out to demonstrate what life was like for black people through the African-American civil rights movement at the turn of the 20th century (Encyclopaedia Britanica, 1985). Since the beginning of the 20th century, great progress has been made for those on the other side of the “color line,” but problems related to race remain. In the 21st century, the “color line” that Du Bois refers to has yet to be broken. This essay will explore how “race” has developed throughout history; it will examine “race” in the 21st century and its impact on people’s lives, as well as the xenophobia felt by part of the world’s population. The trial will also provide evidence demonstrating that "race" is only apparent and that there are no biological differences between each "race." The difference of race is one of the reasons why I fear that war will still exist; because race implies difference, difference implies superiority, and superiority leads to predominance. – Benjamin Disraeli (quoted in Bolander, et al., 1969, p.249) Race is something that has caused friction and war between the world's populations for centuries. According to Brittanica.com (2013), the term "race" was first used to categorize humans in the late 16th century, before early civilizations used class, status, religion and language to bring together different members of society (Rogow, 2003). Even before the word "race" was actually used, it was evident that class and status played a major role...... middle of article......ns_miss_ohio.htm[Accessed 12 /07/2013].O'Mahony, J., 2013. Classroom reading. waterford: sn pbs.org, 2013. Fugitive slaves and racism in the North. [Online] Available at: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4narr3.html [Accessed July 12, 2013]. richmond.edu, 2009. The Rise of Jim Crow in Southern Education. [Online]Available at: http://historyengine.richmond.edu/episodes/view/2594[Accessed July 12, 2013].Rogow, DF, 2003. Ten Things Everyone Should Know About Race. In: J. Cheng, L. Adelman, J. Sommers and T. Howard, eds. Race with the power of illusion. San Francisco: California Newsreel, p. 4. Selfa, L., 2002. Slavery and the origins of racism. [Online] Available at: http://www.isreview.org/issues/26/roots_of_racism.shtml [Accessed July 12, 2013]. Simkin, J., 2013. Black Codes. [Online] Available at: http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USASblackcodes.htm [Accessed 07 12 2013].