Antebellum Minstrelsy and Racial Supremacy - Assignment Example

Antebellum Minstrelsy and Racial Supremacy Black minstrelsy involved popular entertainments where white music and dance artists blackened their faces with burnt cork during performance. This form of entertainment was very popular in the 19th century. These whites who masqueraded as blacks entertained people with dances, songs and dialogues that were an inspiration mostly to southern blacks. Minstrel songs were used to portray how the blacks were lazy, superstitious and dimwitted individuals. However, the minstrel shows lost popularity in the 1960s when civil rights activists had gained audience with their humane movements. These movements were against immoral and irrational representation and use of black culture in entertainment industry. Black minstrelsy, however, was undermined the blacks. The whites used it as a way of showing the largish lifestyle the blacks live in. It was specifically used by the white to advertise their supremacy and discriminate black race. The whites in blackened faces for example dressed in dirty rags. This was seen in the case of Jim Crow who represented himself with naïve and clumsy behavior. He depicted that the blacks were short of ideas and had eroded minds. They could not match the level of thinking and education of the whites who were viewed as more intellectual. This was racial discrimination against the blacks. In addition, the whites were depicted as supreme beings with higher levels of prudence (Bauch 7-300). Minstrelsy was also used by the whites to manipulate the blacks’ thought. They accepted slavery without resistant as they participated willingly in the blackened faces entertainment shows. They developed the thinking that they are very junior in education and issues of wealth and professionalism. The blacks became comfortable with the blackened shows that even depicted them as poor individuals pending the raged clothes used in entertainment. The whites believed that blacks are poor people who can only afford ragged and used clothes. They were convinced that the black races have no dignity and do not deserve praise of whatever kind. Conversely, the black race who participated to in the blackened minstrelsy was in some way failed to think critically. They could not realize that the entertainment shows undermined their culture and dignity. Rather, they later joined the whites in the entertainment shows. They, therefore, showed lack of knowledge and individual character and literate strand. This increased the level of confidence of the whites. They become more superior and influential. The white race as a result continued to grow stronger and stronger with unimaginable level of racial power. They, therefore, almost controlled everything including colonizing Africans in their own lands. Zip Coon and Dandy Jim in their shows gave the black race as absurd people. They represented the black man as useless and silly individuals who could not learn the right dressing code. The two artists wore blue coats with tails when they were acting on stage. The blacks, therefore, were shown as a race of people who could not decide appropriately on the most descent clothing to wear even in formal occasions. These occasions of entertainments only favored the white race. They praised their culture as one that is more formal pending their most descent and presentable dress codes. The blacks had to admit to these facts and as a result felt inferior to the superior whites. They become slaves willingly and adhered to the commands of the descent intelligent white race. This encouraged further the rise of white supremacy. As a result, white race strength gained vantage with time (Emerson 1-150). The dirty clothing used by the artists showed how careless the black race is. They were underrated as individuals who could not learn to keep their body and clothes clean. They entertainment programs depicted the low levels of personal grooming among the black men. As a result, the black race continued to be inferior as the racial disparity raised. The whites showed their character as well groomed and admirable deserving respect in the whole community. This enhanced forceless slavery as the whites earned respect with time. They had to bow before the whites in order to learn their descent life and be accepted. In the process, the blacks surrendered themselves willingly to slavery and abuse. They could as well obey the commands of the presentable white race. Nevertheless, some artists and songwriters like Stephen Foster contradicted the above racial discriminations. Foster composed songs that were free off offensive and worthless words against the black race. This was a turning point as the black race for once felt appreciated. However, it also improved the personality of the whites. Foster portrayed a human character full of appreciation and love. For this reason, he was appreciated and celebrated among the black race. Contrary, Foster’s idea and actions lifted the white race. They were viewed by the blacks as most caring and loving individuals. This gained the whites respect and in no time. They increasingly became more supreme in the community. Foster further composed songs that praised the blacks and depicted them with dignity and compassion. He discouraged use of offensive pictures that may mock or make fun of the black race. This increased respect between the whites and the blacks pending their human behavior. The blacks, therefore, admitted to their rule and as well accepted slavery. They became slaves to the whites in honor of the latter’s dignity and supremacy. Slavery can be either chattel slavery, forced labor or dept bondage. Slavery has existed for a long time all over the world. For example, in Africa where chattel slavery was experienced between Muslims and the trans-Saharan slave trade. In Europe, the trans-Atlantic slave trade existed. Chattel slavery involved situations where slaves were owned. They remained the property of an individual in the society and were traded as such. These kinds of slaves are required to execute labor at the voice of the master. They are also expected to meet sexual favors for their masters. Chattel slavery existed mostly in among Americans for example, the famous trans-Atlantic slave trade. Some reports still claim that chattel slavery is still in existence in Islamic regions of North Africa. These countries include Sudan and Mauritania. A good example of chattel slavery is that of Francis Bok. He was a slave who was captured at the age of seven in 1986 during a raid in their village in south Sudan. He spent about ten years as a slave in north Sudan. He later escaped. Debt bondage or peonage was used as form of slavery where slaves were exchanges as collateral for dept. In bonded labor, the one with the debt provides labor to cover his debt. Such kind of labor could not be transferred to a relative or friend and must be met by the debtor. If the debtor took more time to accomplish his or her labor would have their debts accumulate and increase over time (Levine 123-250). Rich individuals in the society mainly used Dept bondage. They could lend money that was only repayable through labor force in the farms or businesses. Mostly, rich white men in Africa during colonial era found it’s easily to force slavery. Africans viewed them with respect and could work at their command. This increased and favored white racial supremacy in Africa. Peonage represents how slavery was enforced without rebellion. No one would resist working for someone if all it takes is to work for them. Individuals would work willingly in their farms, houses and businesses to cover their debt. Debt bondage hence encouraged antebellum minstrelsy in the nineteenth century. In the slavery era, forced labor, however, was very prominent. This was largely due to the supremacy of the white as well as their richness in education and wealth. The slavery type as the name suggest was hugely based on brutality against labor. Individuals could be contracted by wealthy persons in the society to do some work but they are later forced to do more against their will. Such slavery was mostly prominent in Congo free estate practiced by King Leopold. There has as well been an extensive racial hostility in working white individuals. This anabellum labor is depicted in the extreme labor competition in work industry in America. However, it has now come with clarity that the inherent black competition was largely due to the white workers intelligence in covering and maintaining their class in the labor market. The whites with the view that their race was more superior could not allow the blacks to lead them in industries in the market possibly as managers or executive officers. White workers, therefore, labored with focus of ensuring the preservation of their dignity in the class of racial structure. They accomplished this by lowering the degrading and penetrating effect of the black workers. Such incidences were very common in the music and the entertainment industries. They were used mostly by the whites to suppress the black race from gaining power and respect. The minstrel songs composed by Foster depicts how the whites protected themselves. Songs like ‘oh! Susanna’ was rude and weird forms of entertainment. These songs were composed in the dialect of imaginary American slaves and performed in blackface. Apparently, Foster seemed to care about the plight of American slaves than the other black slaves. This, however, is contradictory as Foster was in fact a Northerner who never understood much about the southern slavery. He had no actual knowledge of the real slavery that existed those times (Chude-Sokei 5-170). However, to his audience the racist sentiments portrayed by his songs were very clear. He remained nevertheless, an influential music writer who at times campaigned against slavery and the inhuman representation of the blacks in the theatre centers. Most minstrel songs praised the slave masters and encouraged slavery. These songs had messages that showed show slaves that had been separated from their original masters yearn to be back pending the hardships they are facing. Further, the songs assured the community not to worry about the slaves, as they seem happy with their slavery life and treatment from their masters. This depicted how minstrel songs and shows created a bridge in racial tensions, these songs praised the power of slave masters and this led to the inherent rise in white supremacy. This apparently true as most American whites formed the highest number of slave masters. These minstrels, therefore, shows created the best platform for respecting the whites. It presented a good opportunity for grooming the disrespectful acuity and narrow-mindedness of the African Americans. These opportunities instilled fear in the blacks about the whites. In return, the infringed fear raised the white race to higher racial ranks. Although minstrel songs were very famous among the western culture, within varied ethnic settings of different families, these shows were as well very controversial. Racial activists viewed them as not showing the true picture of slavery life. The shows showed happy slaves and at the same time made fun of their status such as poverty, low leaving standards and low dignity. These integrationists explained why such entertainments were against the normal respected social norms in humane community. The minstrel, therefore, shows were actual implication of stereotyped caricature. Work Cited Bauch, Marc A. The rise and the fall of the minstrel show, Munich, Germany. Munchen, DE: Grin Verlag, 2012. Print. Chude-Sokei, Louis. The last Darky: Bert williams, Black on Black Minstrelsy and the African Diaspora. United States, US: Duke University Press, 2005. Print. Emerson, Ken. Doo-dah!: Stephen Foster and the rise of American popular culture. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 1997. Print. Levine, Lawrence W. Black culture and black consciousness: Afro-American folk thought from slavery to freedom. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1997. Print. Read More