Blackface Minstrelsy Essay

The history of racism against African-Americans inflicted by white people began centuries ago and established many stereotypes throughout that can still be seen today. When most people think of the progression of racism through the centuries, they may think of the role of white men and all of the acts of racism that they committed. These included not only enslaving them, segregating them, and discriminating against them, but directly imitating and mocking them through widely accepted forms of entertainment. One of these was known as the blackface minstrelsy.

The blackface minstrelsy was a form of live entertainment involving white actors painting their faces black to resemble African-Americans, often imitating them in racist and disrespectful

ways for amusement or comedy. Mostly white male actors typically performed insulting and ignorant portrayals of African-Americans, mocking how they acted, dressed, sang, or talked. These portrayals had negative social implications regarding African-Americans during the time of their popularity during the 1840s through 1880s as they depicted them in distasteful ways. This established a certain prejudiced perception against African-Americans at the time, which helped to shape the belief that white people were superior that would continue throughout the history of racism.
The blackface minstrelsy performances established negative stereotypes of African-Americans that may still be seen today in American consciousness.

The minstrelsy depicted African-Americans as inferior or something to be made fun of, which can be seen in some of modern American ghetto rap and the culture around it. In the video “Blacking Up,” it describes how some white people want to “be black” and portray a hip-hop or rap image. The video also describes how white people in the ghetto rap industry may often be considered as mocking or acting out negative stereotypes, but is not always the case. In the video “Minstrel Show,” it states that, “white kids buy more than 70% of all rap music.” This suggests that white people have a great interest in the “ghetto rap,” which has become increasingly more popular. Even though this genre has become more popular recently and has gained appreciation from more white people, it still has some negative influence from the blackface minstrelsy from over a century

ago.
It may be considered that the blackface minstrelsy helped integrate African-Americans into popular society, but it brought negative consequences along with it.

Because of its popularity, white audiences became familiarized with some original African-American culture, including traditional songs and dances. Although they were parodied by white men, the culture of African-Americans at the time had shone through and influenced popular music at the time. George Washington Dixon, a white actor that helped make the blackface minstrelsy popular, performed the famous “Ethiopian” song hit in 1834 called “Zip Coon.” This song influenced more popular culture as it was used in Walt Disney’s “Zip a Dee Doo Dah.” Although it was not a traditional African-American song, it portrayed the life of a northern African-American and helped assimilate some of their culture into popular society. The negative stereotypes portrayed in the performances, however, can still be seen in modern music as well and have greatly influenced how African-American culture is

depicted.
One common stereotype portrayed in modern ghetto rap involves the gangster lifestyle and all of the negative factors that it includes. While the blackface minstrelsy typically portrayed the life of a slave on plantations, the story of a gangster in the streets depicted in ghetto rap may share similarities. African-Americans portray negative stereotypes in both forms of entertainment, and even though one was centered more on mockery by white people, there is still an unspoken need for African-Americans today to conform to these negative stereotypes. This is also supported in the video “Minstrel Show,” as it states that, “too many Black kids believe that they need to live up to this charade as if it were their authentic culture.” Ghetto rap and blackface minstrelsy performers alike may think that they are portraying an accurate representation of African-American culture, which is commonly criticized by a white majority. Both forms of entertainment have influenced how African-American culture may be negatively perceived.
The popularity of the blackface minstrelsy began with ignorance and disrespect towards African-Americans at the time. Even though it made popular society more familiar with African-American culture, although it wasn’t completely authentic, it brought negative side effects along with it. Stereotypes that were first established through the blackface minstrelsy can still be seen today in the popular ghetto rap music genre. This has left some African-Americans with a continuing negative perception among white people, and a certain image that they may feel that they must maintain. This supports the overall idea that, although it first began centuries ago, the legacy of the blackface minstrelsy still lives on.