A visceral reaction to blackface and minstrel characters has come to be expected in conventional American culture. The idea of minstrel shows being commonplace and consumed as entertainment has become such an uncomfortable thought that characters like Jim Crow are left relatively unexamined further than as an embarrassing racist facet of American history. However, when one sets aside the initial reaction to the seemingly overwhelming racism in T.D. Rice’s “The Original Jim Crow”, the intricate relationship between whites and blacks in 19th century America begins to develop. Simple racism and its connotations of outright hate, disgust and misunderstanding cannot fully explain the tradition of characters like Jim Crow. Of course, the black male
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For instance, the Declaration of Independence proclaimed “all men are created equal” and that all deserve inalienable rights. Obviously, this was not too closely followed in the majority of American history. When this disconnect is considered, “I’m for freedom//An for Union altogether//Aldough I’m a black man//De white is call’d my broder” makes more sense. Jim Crow represents the Moveover, the inconsistencies of the past are exaggerated when one puts a magnifying glass to historical cultural values. However, inconsistencies in cultural understandings are not a rare phenomenon nor are they exclusive to the past. Modern cultural values hardly hold logical to people today. Hence, a white man that rubbed his face with burnt cock and sang about black freedom is strange, but not any stranger than any other accepted cultural norm. Furthermore it must be acknowledged that the acceptance of minstrelsy demonstrates the elaborate condition of race relations in the 19th …show more content…
Jim Crow was not creation in a vacuum free of racial norms. However, this does not mean that Rice had ill intentions with the production of Crow. Instead, Jim Crow represents the complicated relationship white America had with African Americans. While performing in blackface, Rice could explore topics that were off-topic to white folk. With comedic relief, uncomfortable subject matter, like nullification and black freedom, suddenly became available to discuss. More so, Rice showed empathy with blacks in his song. Racism during minstrel performance was unavoidable. Nonetheless, Rice displayed considerable complexities in his performance other than racism. With the aid of Jim Crow, Rice tried to come to terms with the highly stratified racial environment he was chained to. Though it may be difficult to digest, it was not unusually cruel to view blacks in the stereotypical manner that Rice constrained Crow into. This may even be expected for a white man from 19th century America to do so. After all, America’s deeply ingrained racial psyche can be overpowering. Jim Crow’s creation and ongoing existence in American culture displays America’s complicated relationship to race in the 19th century and into the
For instance, the Declaration of Independence proclaimed “all men are created equal” and that all deserve inalienable rights. Obviously, this was not too closely followed in the majority of American history. When this disconnect is considered, “I’m for freedom//An for Union altogether//Aldough I’m a black man//De white is call’d my broder” makes more sense. Jim Crow represents the Moveover, the inconsistencies of the past are exaggerated when one puts a magnifying glass to historical cultural values. However, inconsistencies in cultural understandings are not a rare phenomenon nor are they exclusive to the past. Modern cultural values hardly hold logical to people today. Hence, a white man that rubbed his face with burnt cock and sang about black freedom is strange, but not any stranger than any other accepted cultural norm. Furthermore it must be acknowledged that the acceptance of minstrelsy demonstrates the elaborate condition of race relations in the 19th …show more content…
Jim Crow was not creation in a vacuum free of racial norms. However, this does not mean that Rice had ill intentions with the production of Crow. Instead, Jim Crow represents the complicated relationship white America had with African Americans. While performing in blackface, Rice could explore topics that were off-topic to white folk. With comedic relief, uncomfortable subject matter, like nullification and black freedom, suddenly became available to discuss. More so, Rice showed empathy with blacks in his song. Racism during minstrel performance was unavoidable. Nonetheless, Rice displayed considerable complexities in his performance other than racism. With the aid of Jim Crow, Rice tried to come to terms with the highly stratified racial environment he was chained to. Though it may be difficult to digest, it was not unusually cruel to view blacks in the stereotypical manner that Rice constrained Crow into. This may even be expected for a white man from 19th century America to do so. After all, America’s deeply ingrained racial psyche can be overpowering. Jim Crow’s creation and ongoing existence in American culture displays America’s complicated relationship to race in the 19th century and into the