In 1901, William Edward Burghardt Du Bois argued that "the problem of the 20th century is the problem of the color line" (DuBois, 1901) which classifies individuals only based on their physical characteristics. He set out to demonstrate what it was like for blacks to live through the African-American civil rights movement in the early twentieth century (Encyclopaedia Britanica, 1985). Since the early 20th century, great progress has been made for those on the other side of the “color line,” but the problems associated with race remain. In the 21st century the “color line” referred to by Du Bois has yet to be broken. This essay will explore how “race” has developed throughout history; will examine "race" in the twenty-first century and its impact on people's lives alongside the xenophobia felt by the world's population. The essay will also provide evidence to support the fact that "race" is only superficial and that there are no biological differences between each "race". Racial difference is one of the reasons why I fear that war will always exist; because race implies difference, difference implies superiority, and superiority leads to predominance. – Benjamin Disraeli (as quoted in Bolander, et al., 1969, p.249) Race is something that has caused friction and war between the populations of the globe for centuries. According to Brittanica.com (2013), the term race was first used to classify humans in the late 16th century, before early civilizations used class, status, religion, and language to group different members of society together (Rogow , 2003). Even before the word "race" was actually used, it is clear that class and status played an important role... half of the document......ns_miss_ohio.htm[Accessed 07 12 2013].O'Mahony, J., 2013. Reading in the classroom. waterford: sn pbs.org, 2013. Fugitive Slaves and Northern Racism. [Online]Available at: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4narr3.html[Accessed 07 12 2013]. richmond.edu, 2009. The Rise of Jim Crow in Southern Education. [Online] Available at: http://historyengine.richmond.edu/episodes/view/2594[Accessed 07 12 2013].Rogow, D.F., 2003. Ten things everyone should know about race. In: J. Cheng, L. Adelman, J. Sommers and T. Howard, eds. Compete against 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 07 12 2013].Simkin, J., 2013. Black Codes. [Online]Available at: http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USASblackcodes.htm[Accessed 07 12 2013].