Zip Coon And Jim Crow: Stereotypes Of African Americans

In 1843, the first Minstrel Shows were being performed in the North when slavery had yet to be abolished in the South of the United States. African Americans, in the South, were treated as animals that should be controlled and used for work. People in the South which includes slave owners justified their harsh and inhumane treatment of African Americans by proclaim them as ignorant and unequal to themselves. The main interactions that many southern people had with African Americans were from a position of power and ownership. The Northern population of people often did not have much contact or interaction with African Americans. Having minimal interaction caused many people to have little to no knowledge about African American people. This

Zip Coon was another stereotype of a free African American man living in the city with high standards depicted as arrogant and untrustworthy. Jim Crow was a stereotype of can African American man living in the country that was ignorant but content with his oppressed lifestyle. Jim Crow would do a hop step dance called “Jumping Jim Crow (Campbell, 2013. pg. 25).” I feel that these false images of African Americans further depicted them as uneducated and unable to control their own lives without outside

Nowadays, I feel that many people limit black musicians to the genres of rap or R&B. Roots of Rhythm and Blues do run through African American culture and rap stemmed from “toasting” that took place on the streets of Jamaica (Campbell, 2013. pg. 264). While the population of rap and R&B are predominantly African American, there should be no limit put on these musicians. Another example of an exception to the rule would be a white rapper or rapper of another ethnicity other than African American. Although things have begun to change, people still see rap as only being a genre for black musicians. I believe that gangsta rap came about and gained popularity when in the 1990’s, African Americans were using this form of music to shed light on their oppressed lives. Many African Americans, more so than whites, live in poverty where the cycle of struggling continues. As gang violence and discrimination increased, their anger spilled out in the words of raps songs. During this time, I believe that many people stereotyped African Americans as authority hating, angry, and lazy people. I feel that some people view the successful rappers that have made money maybe in a similar arrogant way of the city slicker Zip Coon. These people may view African Americans in poverty as they would stereotype Jim Crow as content with their situation and that there is no actual problem. Just like Darius Rucker is