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MINSTRELSY

MINSTRELSY . What was it? What role did it play in race relations? How did it change over time? Why should we study the history of minstrelsy?. What was minstrelsy?. Minstrelsy was a form of entertainment that was popular in America from around 1830-1910 Minstrel shows

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MINSTRELSY

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  1. MINSTRELSY • What was it? • What role did it play in race relations? • How did it change over time? • Why should we study the history of minstrelsy?

  2. What was minstrelsy? • Minstrelsy was a form of entertainment that was popular in America from around 1830-1910 • Minstrel shows • “black face” performance • White actors wearing “black face” • Why?

  3. The Show • Musical numbers, comedy sketches, ‘stand-up’-like routines • All the characters were negative stereotypes of blacks • Minstrel shows varied but stock-characters were used throughout the period

  4. The Characters / The Stereotypes • “Jim Crow”, a dancing, happy slave • “Sambo”, a buffoon (clown, ridiculous) • The ‘slow’ slave, the ‘errant’ slave • The city dandy • And others… • What was the power of these stereotypes?

  5. Minstrelsy and Race Relations • Minstrel shows grew in popularity as abolition movement grew, as northern blacks gained some affluence and after the Civil War. • A “psychological attack” – not just innocent humor. • The images and character-stereotypes persisted even after minstrelsy faded • Sambo’s restaurants • Aunt Jemima

  6. How did minstrelsy change over time? • After the Civil War, African-American performers began to do minstrel shows, too. • did help to position African-Americans as legitimate entertainers… • But they were participating in the stereotype industry

  7. The content of the shows changed • White performers (in competition now) add other racial stereotypes (e.g. Chinese) • Black performers add a variety of music, dance and comedy to their shows that was new and not solely derived from racial stereotypes

  8. The biggest audience for minstrel shows was working class, white men in the North • Lowest rung in white society • The popularity of minstrel shows faded by 1900-1910, as vaudeville and the ‘musical’ began to rise • This period was the end of careers… • …and the beginning of careers, too…

  9. James BlandAfrican-American minstrel performer • Very successful in peak of black minstrel performers… died in 1911, as trend ended • Born in NYC, free parents, father very highly educated • On track to follow father, at Howard, drawn instead to music and performance • Career on the stage and writing music • European tour • Why would a young man with his background seek to portray black stereotypes?

  10. Pigmeat MarkhamAfrican-American minstrel performer • Born just as minstrelsy was fading away, yet built a career doing minstrel shows and characters in what became a ‘niche’, but persistent, wing of popular entertainment • Having started out in the circus as a boy, his career spanned from the Great Depression to the 1970s and he was considered a truly gifted entertainer • Yet he was criticized by other blacks for continuing to do minstrel shows

  11. Why should we study the history of minstrelsy? • As an example of the insidiousness of humorous bigotry • One way white culture reacted to changes in social status of blacks • To forget or not? To erase or not? • To understand how stereotypes dehumanize • To glimpse the strange choices facing African-Americans who wanted to be in theater in the ‘Jim Crow’ era after the Civil War • To know what you are seeing today if you encounter images or characters derived from minstrelsy

  12. bibliography • Aberjhani. "Markham, Pigmeat." In Aberjhani, and Sandra L. West. Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2003. African-American History Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE01&iPin=EHR0210&SingleRecord=True (accessed October 20, 2011). • Black, Ray. "Sambo and Uncle Tom in African-American literature." In Samuels, Wilfred D. Encyclopedia of African-American Literature. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. African-American History Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE01&iPin=EAFL328&SingleRecord=True (accessed October 20, 2011). • Kibler, M. Alison, “Minstrel Shows”, St James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture, v3, 2000, p.371-372. • Kranz, Rachel C. "Bland, James." In Kranz, Rachel C., and Philip J. Koslow. The Biographical Dictionary of African Americans. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 1999. African-American History Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE01&iPin=afbio0128&SingleRecord=True (accessed October 20, 2011). • Rose Blue & Corinne J. Naden. "'The Minstrel Show'." The History of Gospel Music, African-American Achievers. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 2001. African-American History Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE01&iPin=AAGM06&SingleRecord=True (accessed October 20, 2011). • Weissman, Dick. "minstrelsy." Blues, American Popular Music. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2005. African-American History Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE01&iPin=APMB0283&SingleRecord=True (accessed October 20, 2011).

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