Derek Vidal AMST 1130 – 3 June 27th, 2024 Professor Anand Minstrel Shows Minstrel shows, controversial in nature, has ingrained itself into American culture in the 19th century. Minstrel shows were where white actors would put on dark makeup and stereotype African Americans portrayed in theater or on television, which was popular at the time for several reasons. Looking back on minstrel shows today, you can truly see the racist remarks made by Americans that look back on minorities and their generations. In this paper I want to explore how race, class, and gender affected minstrel shows, talk about the impact it had on society, its implications for our time period today, and lastly my reaction to the information. Starting off on how race, class …show more content…
In the video titled Blackface: A cultural history of a racist art form it states, “For more than 100 years whites and black performers wore dark makeup and created not only a popular theatrical form, but stereotypes that are still with us today” (1:21). This then leads us to how class has affected minstrel shows, in that if white actors were playing blackface the shows appeals and contents would primarily target working class white audiences providing a place for escapism to audiences and offers a break from the hardships of everyday life whether it be through comedy, music, or character stereotypes to mock African Americans who were perceived to be in the low social class. It grew in popularity due to class tensions when industrialization and urbanization were building in America. As for gender, minstrel shows portrayed both male and female African Americans, however white women were also included, and male actors would portray …show more content…
In the video for this assignment titled Blackface: The Roots of a Racist Art Form it states, “The widespread demeaning portrayal of Blacks paralleled a period when southern state legislatures were passing black codes to restrict the behavior of former slaves and other blacks. In fact, these codes would later be called “Jim Crow Laws” (7:47). Minstrelsy guaranteed audiences that black Americans would never be able to penetrate into the white world, and they would never be able to. It also presented a threat that free blacks presented to white society, which arose during the second half of the 19th century, being able to receive full citizenship within the American body politic. So, what are the implications of minstrel shows today? Well, they remain relevant today in discussions about race and representation, it can also be seen in modern day media and entertainment where stereotypes of African Americans persist. Another example is mentioned in the video where products like Aunt Jemima brand and Uncle Ben’s Rice go away with their racial stereotypes to a neutral name along with removing the portraits they had of African
The minstrel show is considered by many as the first American form of musical theatre (Bordman, 2010). However, the tradition of minstrelsy, in various forms, dates back to well before Thomas Dartmouth Rice first jumped Jim Crow. In the sixteenth and seventeenth century, it was common for actors to darken their faces for dramatic effect, as illustrated by Shakespeare’s Othello (Strausbaugh, 2010). It could be said that minstrelsy continues to be alive and well today, in the form of reality television and hip-hop culture. While opinions on what may be considered minstrelsy today may differ, there is no denying that Rice revolutionized how the centuries old tradition of blackface was used to create a new art form, the minstrel show.
Portrayal of African Americans on television is frequently a controversial topic. Throughout its rather brief history, television, in its programming, has skewed predominantly white, (Pringozy, 2007). This was clearer in the 1950s and early 1960s, and it even remained true throughout the 1970s, when television shows with mainly all African American casts became hits, (Strausbaugh, 2006). The success of The Cosby Show in the 1980s helped to improve race relations somewhat, or at least on television, (McNeil, 1996). Still, controversy continued, and still does to this day, as to which shows present negative stereotypes of African Americans and which ones do not, (Strausbaugh, 2006). Therefore, when talking about the history of African Americans on television, it is best to begin with the show that is widely considered to be the epitome of negative stereotypes of African Americans on television: The Amos and Andy Show, (McNeil, 1996). This paper will examine the portrayal of African Americans through two shows from two generations and the impacts both shows had on Black America; The Amos and Andy Show (1928) and The Cosby Show (1984).
Minstrel show was an entertainment program which aired in the 19th century. The show mainly consisted of acting, music and dance with the performers dressed primarily in the figure of a black face mimicking the culture of the African American culture. As depicted by the shows, the black populations were mainly represented as superstitious, musical, lazy and lucky. Although the show has since been closed, its place has been taken over by numerous other media programs.
In class, we watched a film called Ethnic Notions. In this film, it brought to light how devastating and powerful images can be. Due to exaggerated images and caricatures created pre-civil war era of black men and women, stereotypes were created and have negatively affected the black race in society. Caricatures, such as the Sambo, Zip Coon, Mammy, and Brute, have unfortunately been engrained in the minds of generations. So much so their stereotypes still persist today.
Since its start, the television industry has been criticized for perpetuating myths and stereotypes about African-Americans through characterizations, story lines, and plots. The situation comedy has been the area that has seemed to draw the most criticism, analysis, and disapproval for stereotyping. From Sanford and Son and The Jefferson’s in the 1970s to The Cosby Show (1984) and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in the 1990s, sitcoms featuring black casts and characters have always been controversial. However, their significance upon our American culture cannot be disregarded. During the 1950s and 1960s, 97% of the families were Caucasian. In the first five years of the 1990s, nearly 14% of the television families were African-American (Bryant 2001). These statistics obviously show the substantial impact our American culture has had on African-American television families.
Most of these images are always negative; in fact, when most of us turn on the television to watch a sitcom, we will often see African- Americans acting as if they have little or no sense at all. Frequently African-Americans would be depicted as being extremely melodramatic in all that they say or do, and it tends to send the wrong message to people in the United States; as well as, people all across the world. For example, on the television sitcom ‘Good Times’ viewers observed a black family living in a Chicago housing project in poverty. Sitcoms of African Americans who did not live in poverty were uncommon until the 80’s. The Huxtables introduced me and everyone else to a new image of living as an African American. ‘‘The Cosby Show’’ enlightened me to a new sense of self-confidence and pride. Throughout its broadcasting years, the Huxtable family candidly crushed the stereotypical images of the African-American family. The show displayed the African-American family in a way that was never before seen or grasped by the American public. In fact, during that era most of the mass media programs depicted African-American television families as hard working lower class poor citizens, many of which constantly used slang or terrible grammar. Likewise, the broadcasting community endorsed the idea that African-American people were connected to
In today’s culturally diverse, politically correct society, it is hard to believe that at one time racism was not only accepted as the norm, but enjoyed for its entertainment value. Individuals of African descent in North America today take the large, diverse pool of opportunities offered by the film industry for granted. Much like Canadian theatre however, there was a time when a black man in any role, be it servant or slave, was virtually unheard of. It took the blaxpliotation films of the early nineteen seventies to change the stereotypical depiction of Black people in American Cinema, as it took The Farm Story, performed by a small troop of Canadian actors, to create a Canadian theatre industry. To be more specific, it took the release of Melvin Van Peebles, Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song, in 1971, to change the tradition view of Black people in American film.
Toll, R. (1971) From Folktype to Stereotype: Images of Slaves in Antebellum Minstrelsy . Indiana: Indiana University press.
The protagonist and hero of our film Colonel Ben Cameron is portrayed as the honest and star struck lover who wants nothing but the love of his life by his side. Yet, this proves impossible with the newly corrupt and hate filled south created by the freed blacks, so Colonel Cameron devises the idea of the KKK on the stereotypical belief that all blacks are superstitious. Dressing as ghosts was an attempt to simply scare the blacks out of the south. Beliefs such as that of all blacks being highly superstitious and use of black face are some of the many racist aspects in “The Birth of a Nation”. The film even breaks down African Americans into a few categories The tom as the loyal slave who is always harassed and beat, the coon a black man who is viewed as lousy and good for nothing, pickanninies are the presentation of black children who were easily moved and had overly expressed features, the tragic mulatto from the one drop rule was a mixed black who was always angry because she had “corrupt” black blood, the mammy was the sexless, overweight female who cared for the kids, and the brutal black back who was centered around nothing but the desire for white women (Bogle 4-10). Each of these roles played a significant role in discriminately dividing the African American community into categories and expressing false differences between African Americans and
Minstrel shows were one of the most integral parts of entertainment in the United States during the nineteenth century and early twentieth century. Audiences at that time liked blackface comedy due to segregation, and racial discrimination in the society. Due to wide varieties of caricatures, dances, and songs, minstrel shows gained popularity within a short span of time. In minstrel shows, white people masked themselves as black people, and portrayed exaggerated black stereotypes, which dehumanized black population. The racist comedy gags and dances performed by artists in minstrel shows were hilarious for white audiences back then. Blackface comedy conveyed the sense of eliteness and supremacy among white audiences
Stereotypes such as this have been continuously developing in the television network even today. The modernized images played by blacks are drunks, thugs, thieves, gangsters, and other characters that are inferior to whites. By creating these images of blacks, it has caused both blacks and whites to see African Americans as being ignorant and believing that is the only way that they should act. Television networks depict whites as the typical families with no problems, and blacks as the single parents with a long list of problems. The impact of those roles had a great effect on how the African American race, young and old conceive their selves. Even today, there are very few African American business people. These racist stereotypes has conformed their minds into thinking that less is best. Young African American children watch these televisions shows that portray blacks as being thugs and uneducated. Those children go through school acting that same way, getting into trouble, and making nothing of their selves.
In 1828, Thomas “Daddy” Rice invented the black character Jim Crow. Rice danced around and sung a song called, Jump Jim Crow, he played this character himself and blackened his face to appear darker (Burns). Word got around about Rice’s spectacle and soon Blackface was all the rage. Blackface wasn’t created to mock African Americans, but was used as a way to mock them without having to fear a punishment (University of South Florida). Minstrel Shows began soon after Blackface, these types of show were adopted around the year 1850 (Burns). “Between 1850 and 1870, the minstrel show was one of the most common and popular for entertainment in American,” (Burns). No one could seem to get enough of the plays and there were many minstrel shows around the world. America was the capital of minstrel shows through this 1850-1870 timeline. Minstrel Songs were inspired by Anglo-Celtic songs, but the way they were presented was mocking African American (University of South Florida). Minstrel songs were usually made by African Americans, though the white playwright got payed (Muhammad). The earliest forms of minstrelsy all shared three stereotyped images of African Americans that they are more like caveman then civilized humans, African Americans are stupid, buffoonish clowns, and that African Americans only want to be working on the farm or in a “rural paradise” of some sort
In this essay I will address racial issues in Musical theatre, specifically the black and white divide. I have chosen this subject because I find it interesting how racism used to be so accepted in society, and although it’s decreasing presence it is still an issue today. I will be looking at two similar yet contrasting musicals written at different times. Both these musicals have racial issues through their storyline. I will look at the similarities and differences between these two musicals and how racial issues are expressed. Additionally I will consider when the shows were written; what impact these musicals had on society and vice versa.
Appearing in the 1903, The Souls of Black folk had emerged, a collection of 14 proses, written by one of the single most intellectual blacks in America, W. E.B. DuBois (Oxford Companion). This dynamic collection of essays reflect on African American history, sociology, religion, politics, and music. DuBois begins saying “The problem of the 20th century is the color line (5). This quote pronounces DuBois bases for his collection, that is being different form the others (Whites) makes you feel like you are being shut out from their world by a vast veil; hence the color line(8). On the other had we have Birth of a Nation, which comes out later in 1915 (TCM). Ironically it becomes the top selling film in White America during that time, but degrades everything that DuBois and another activist stood for. While DuBois hopes to educate White and Black America on their boundaries, the color line, the film’s director, D.W. Griffith, undermines these ideas. Defiling images of African Americans by distorting the perception of Blacks using stereotypical examples such as the mammies, mulattos, and bucks, Griffith tries to justify that blacks were inferior to Whites. In spite of the many controversies that are expressed in the film, it had become a known as the most innovative, American Epics and was a top seller during its time because of Griffith’s technical breakthrough and format. While comparing and contrasting these two pieces I hope to reveal to you this why this ‘double consciousness’ exist, even todays society as a result of these stereotypes displayed in “The Birth of a Nation.”
With the turn of the century, society and technology evolved and so did the minstrel shows. The introduction of the television gave the shows a new platform to broadcast their content to more American audiences. While not as harsh as the shows in the 19th century’s shows, the modern minstrel shows were “vestiges of their racial stereotyping and performance aesthetics that persisted for decades in various performance mediums. ” (7).