The native middle class partly arose from mulatto populations fathered by whites

Evidence

In the middle tier of these societies rested the native petit bourgeoisie, wedged between the laboring classes beneath them and the foreign and native operatives of capital and the officials of the state above. Their social origins were complex and intertwined. One of their bases was the “mulatto” populations of the former slave societies and the colonies. This “brown” stratum was frequently the natural issue of racial systems where privilege of position and education was sometimes bestowed by white fathers (or mothers). In other instances it was the result of deliberate political policy. — Cedric J. Robinson, Black Marxism_ The Making of the Black…, 851

Categorization

• XREF: The brown stratum as colonial intermediary echoes Cox’s color-gradient thesis that follows; also connects to the reader’s earlier books on racial caste systems.