Jumping into Racism: The Artistic Origins of Jim Crow

Have you ever seen someone impersonate a Black person using blackface? The image above is a poster featuring a white man who purposely covered himself in burnt cork and other products in order to make himself appear black. Nowadays, wearing blackface is widely looked down upon, and is considered a hate crime. However, this was not always the case. In 1830, Thomas Rice debuted his three part routine “Jump Jim Crow”. The performance became popular in the American South, by portraying African Americans as dim-witted. The character came at a time where white supremacy was rampant throughout the South, and added to racial tensions.
The portrayal of the character of “Jim Crow” was far more purposeful than getting a laugh out of the audience. The performances contained songs and dances that not only portrayed African Americans as dumb, but also incapable of doing anything successfully, reiterating the idea of slavery, and inferring that they did not deserve their freedom. Eventually, the show became nationwide entertainment and the stereotypes that the character portrayed became more influential.

The stereotypes associated with the “Jim Crow” characters played a major role in the formation of the “Black Codes”. These codes would go on to be named “Jim Crow Laws” and forced segregation in public spaces. These racially targeted laws included not allowing Black people from drinking from the same water fountains as white people, segregated schools for black and white children, and legalized violence against black people if they did not adhere to the segregated society. Unfortunately, during this time, lynching was a form of oppression and violence used to scare black people into submission. While lynching was not technically legal, no effort was made to hold the perpetrators accountable, or to find the victims justice. These codes were a direct assault on the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments, which granted African Americans the same rights as white Americans.