Hypoescent was the practice of determining the lineage of a child of mixed-race ancestry by assigning the child the race of his or her more socially subordinate parent. Because Caucasians were dominant in the Western world, mixed-race children in slave societies were most commonly assigned to their non-Caucasian parent. In some colonial societies, however, a third class of people of color developed, especially in French and Spanish colonies. People of color were often educated, and went on to own property, including, in some instances, slaves.