Stereotyping the African American Race

By: Conner Thrall

The History of African Americans goes back to the time when the first thirteen colonies originated in America, when they were used as involuntary servants or as many call it slaves.

Many of the people back in the 17th-18th century were Christians in America whom were taught that blacks were created by god inferior to whites

Douglas Harper Supports this in saying, “The Calvinist doctrine of predestination easily supported the Puritans in a position that blacks were a people cursed and condemned by God to serve whites(Meager, pg 2).”

Pre-Civil War Stereotyping of African Americans

After the Civil War blacks were freed from slavery, however they were about to face a whole new type of problem. This problem was called the Jim Crow era.

The Jim Crow Era, from 1867 to the mid 1960’s, made life very difficult for the blacks to live their lives because of the different stereotypes white southerners put on them.

Post-Civil War Stereotyping of African Americans (The Jim Crow Era)

During the Jim Crow Era the problems that blacks faced because of the stereotypes put on them were almost endless. Here are some examples of the problems they faced:

I. Blacks and whites are not allowed to eat together in public.II. Blacks were not allowed to show public affection towards each

other, especially kissing. III. If a black person rode in a car driven by a white person, the black

person would always sit in the back seat.IV. They could never impute dishonorable intentions to a white person.V. They could never assert or even intimate that a White person is

lying.

Post-Civil War Stereotyping of African Americans (The Jim Crow Era) (Continued)

The African American Race has had stereotypes put on them throughout the history of there existence in America. Most of the stereotypes put on the African American Race are negative connotation towards them. However, there are some stereotypes of their race that has put a positive aspect on them as well. Here is a list of the different types of African American stereotypes during those times.

Stereotypes of the African American Race Pre-Civil War and During the Jim Crow Era

Brute Caricature- This portrays black men as destructive, savage, animalistic, and criminal. Also, they were portrayed as hideous beast as well.

Picaninny Caricature- This portrays black children as nameless, shiftless natural buffoons who would run from alligators and toward fried chicken.

Coon Caricature- This type of stereotype gets its name from Raccoons. This portrays black men as lazy, inarticulate, chronically idle, easily frightened buffoons.

Golliwog Caricature- The name comes from a creature called the Golliwog, which portrays blacks as grotesque creature with jet black skin, white-rimmed eyes, clown lips and frizzy hair.

Stereotypes of the African American Race in a Negative Aspect

Nat Caricature- This portrays black men as crazy, angry, revengeful brutes with a very strong hatred towards whites.

Sapphire Caricature- This portrays black woman as rude, loud, malicious, stubborn, and overbearing people.

Jezebel Caricature- Portrays black women as lascivious by nature

Stereotypes of the African American Race in a Negative Aspect (Continued)

Tom Caricature- This portrayed black men as men as faithful, happily submissive servants.

Mammy Caricature- This Portrayed black women as Content and happy as slaves.

Stereotypes of the African American Race in a Positive Connotation.

Back during this time whites, mostly southerners, saw the stereotyping of blacks from whites a completely normal part of life. “Nobody ever tried to question it, its just the way it was back then,” said Leonard Barrow.

Bellow is a podcast link that is about whites views on the stereotyping and segregation during the Jim Crow Era.

http://blogs.rsd13ct.org/munson_a_block/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/American-RadioWorks-Whites-Remember-Jim-Crow.mp3

Whites views of African American Stereotyping During the Jim Crow Era

The whites viewed blacks, as stated before, in many different and negative stereotypical ways. Blacks were treated very poorly because of it and they didn’t like it. Milton Quigless says, “ Unless your boss provided it, a black man couldn’t even receive good medical care back then. If you got hurt you were on your own (Chafe, pg 19).” He later explains how much this frustrated him that he couldn’t get these benefits just because he was black.

Below is a podcast link that is about blacks views on the stereotyping and segregation of their race during the Jim Crow Era.

http://blogs.rsd13ct.org/munson_a_block/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/American-RadioWorks-Blacks-Remember-Jim-Crow2.mp3

African Americans Views on the Stereotypes Whites Put on them During Jim Crow.

Today many people put stereotypes on African Americans just like back before and after the civil war. It is shown in this video created by a Texas A&M student, interviewing other students on their views on African American stereotypes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXzKLtgKJj0

Modern Day Stereotypes of African Americans.

African American Stereotypes. YouTube, 2007. Web. 8 Mar. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXzKLtgKJj0>.

"Blacks Remember Jim Crow." Interview. Web log post. American Radio Works. Steven Smith, 9 Jan. 2006. Web. 5 Mar. 2012. <http://blogs.rsd13ct.org/munson_a_block/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/American-RadioWorks-Blacks-Remember-Jim-Crow2.mp3>.

Brunner, Borgna. "African American History Timeline." Infoplease. Pearson Education, 2007. Web. 5 Mar. 2012. <http://www.infoplease.com/spot/bhmtimeline.html>.

Chafe, William H., and Raymond Gavins. Remembering Jim Crow: African Americans Tell about Life in the Segregated South.

New York: New, 2001. Print.

Bibliography

"Never Shook Hands." Interview by Kate Ellis. American Public Media. 2012. Web. 6 Mar. 2012. <http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/remembering/whites.html>.

Pilgrim, David. Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia. Ferris State University, 2011. Web. 08 Mar. 2012. <http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/menu.htm>.

"Whites Remember Jim Crow." Interview. Web log post. American Radio Works. 23 Jan. 2006. Web. 5 Mar. 2012. <http://blogs.rsd13ct.org/munson_a_block/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/American-RadioWorks-Whites-Remember-Jim-Crow.mp3>.

Meager, David. Why Did Christians Justify African Slavery? Tech. no. 104. Church Society, 2007. Web. 8 Mar. 2012. <http://www.churchsociety.org/crossway/documents/Cway_104_AfricanSlavery.pdf>.

Bibliography (Continued)