Minstrel Shows And Their Influence On African American Entertainment

Minstrel shows were the first form of American entertainment that developed in the North during the nineteenth century. They involved a variety of acts that were performed by white performers in blackface makeup before the civil war. The acts they performed were a mockery of the lives of the blacks who lived on the plantation farms in the south. Minstrelsy was popular between the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century and this had a huge impact on the American entertainment industry. It led to the development and popularization of African American dances as well as the basis for the development of black stereotypes.
The minstrel shows were comprised of three parts. The first part was a question and answer between the interlocutor and endmen. They performed comedic acts and texts that were an exaggerated version of an African American male. The zip coon character mocked free blacks by

pretending to be an African American male who was arrogant, childish, lazy and unhappy but too cynical to change his state. Since minstrel shows were popular in the North and highly dominated by whites, the personality of zip coon and similar stock characters were ingrained into the audience as the typical black male. The images painted by minstrel shows on the lives of African Americans and their personalities had a great impact on the entertainment industry and the community at large. Film producers in hollywood demanded African American actors to speak and act the same way they were portrayed in minstrel shows. For an African American to be successful in the entertainment industry, they had to act like the stock characters that appeared in minstrel shows. Take for example in the satirical movie bamboozled, De la Croix became successful only after he developed a minstrel show for his network. His previous efforts of creating shows that portrayed African Americans as intelligent were futile.
The dances performed in minstrel shows were originally from the slave plantations in the south.

When they moved to minstrelsy, they were performed by African Americans and introduced to a broader culture. The cakewalk dance was originally from the south and it's movements were exaggerated to fit the comedic style of minstrel shows. It's popularity led to it being featured in several musicals. In addition, African American dances were learnt by other performers who popularized the dances by making them cross racial and social class boundaries. such as Vernon and Irene Castle who made rag dancing popular cross racial and social class boundaries in America.
The structure of the minstrel shows and the stock characters performed in minstrels shows influenced the development of black stereotypes. These stereotypes had a great impact on the entertainment industry and society at large. The dances performed in the acts were derived from the plantations in the south. Through minstrel shows, they gained popularity by crossing racial and social

boundaries.