Jim Crow

Jim Crow

What is “Jim Crow”, exactly; Is it a person or a place? Well It is neither it’s an action that was how African Americans were treated. Following the American Civil war which lasted from 1861- 1865, most of the southern states and the even later after that bordering states passed laws that deprived African Americans of their basic rights as a human. It’s not really certain why or how but the name “Jim Crow” was used when people were referencing the timeframe and situation, where the laws, customs, and etiquettes were used to segregate and demean African Americans mostly during the 1870s to the 1960s.

Jim Crow which started off as a white man minstrel named Thomas Dartmouth "Daddy" Rice, who dressed up and played a part to entertain and make fun of the African Americans became the character and name for the time era after the American Civil War when the African Americans were deprived of their basic human rights. “When performing as minstrels, white performers used burnt cork and greasepaint or shoe polish to darken their skin and red or white makeup to exaggerate their lips. They also wore woolly wigs and ragged clothes to imitate and ridicule African Americans.”[1]. Rice’s Jim Crow song and dance that he made up became an Jim Crow song-and-dance routine was an surprising success, this show took him all over including Louisville, Cincinnati, Pittsburg, Philadelphia, and New York in 1832. This caused “Jim Crow” to become a well-known character in minstrel shows, along with counterparts Jim Dandy and Zip Coon. Thomas Rice was rightfully known as the “Father of American minstrelsy” after this successful show Rice had many people who wanted to imitate him and his show. “In 1843, four white men from New York, billed as the Virginia Minstrels, darkened their faces and imitated the singing and dancing of blacks.”[2] A small portion of Thomas Rice’s song went as the following.

“Come listen all you galls and boys,

I'm going to sing a little song,...