America. Racism targeted at other ethnic groups has been just as bad or worse historically, for example against Jews (for some sad reading see this http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_and_antisemitism), and in many cases it is hard to see how money might have been at the root of it.

I agree that racist attitudes and beliefs about blacks were a convenient way to help build and maintain the plantation culture in the pre-Civil War South, so there were financial benefits for a few. However, I think it would be a stretch to say that money is really at the root of racism, even racism against black people in the US.