Minstrelsy: The Bane Of Show Business

"If I could have the nigger show back again in its pristine purity, I should have little use for opera." -- Mark Twain

Blackface performers are, "...the filthy scum of white society, who have stolen from us a complexion denied them by nature, in which to make money, and pander to the corrupt taste of their white fellow citizens." -- Frederick Douglass

Minstrelsy: The Bane of Show Business

The two quotes above show just how different society was during the time of slavery and the consideration of African-Americans to be a lesser version of humanity. Mark Twain is believed by the majority of society to be a well-learned and creative author, however he was no exception to the corruption and slander of the African race since he was Caucasian.
Minstrelsy eventually became more popular after a man named Daniel Decatur Emmett and three of his companions dressed up in the incorrigible blackface and performed African-like music with instruments and calling themselves the Virginia Minstrels. This really ignited the demand of the American population for minstrel shows and several imitators of Emmett and his companions came to light. As unfortunate as it is, Americans paid to see these performances and the disgrace of blacks became a way for certain white Americans to make their living quite comfortably. The minstrel shows became so popular that a performance was even arranged at the White House in 1844 for the president’s entertainment. The fact that so many whites did not see, or worse care, about the disgrace makes me wonder how we have come to be the society we are today. How was this nation able to look past all this and move on and allow for suffrage of African-Americans and other
When the blackface was first established, many actors painted big, red lips on the face, reminiscent of clowns. Later on, however, the lips were either painted white or left unpainted. The look portrayed African-Americans as exaggerated, ugly, comical, and ridiculous. The costumes they wore were also designed to humiliate blacks, commonly dressing in ludicrous outfits and speaking in, what was termed, “plantation” dialect. After the minstrel shows gained popularity, certain characters began to reoccur. The most common being Jim Crow (just like Rice during the first performance), Mr. Tambo, Zip Coon (this is thought to be the reason for the derogatory term “coon,” still used today), and lesser characters, such as an old woman nicknamed Mammy. Jim Crow was considered to be your typical “care-free” slave unencumbered by his situation, while Mr. Tambo was a joyous musician, lastly Zip Coon was a free black that tried to rise above the situation. All of the characters portrayed in the minstrel shows were completely pacified with their situation and were considered benevolent, well-behaved