The term "race" has been used for a lot of things, and it was definitely commonly used for groups like Polish, Irish, French, etc. long before it was commonly u

The term "race" has been used for a lot of things, and it was definitely commonly used for groups like Polish, Irish, French, etc. long before it was commonly used for just four or so groups in all of humanity. Reading in 18th and 19th century writings I see references to the English race or the Italian race or whatnot, and rarely a reference to whites or blacks as a race.