Jim Crow (character)

The Jim Crow persona is a theater character developed by entertainer Thomas D. Rice (1808–1860) and popularized through his minstrel shows. The character is a stereotypical depiction of African-Americans and of their culture. Rice based the character on a folk trickster named Jim Crow that had long been popular among enslaved black people.^[1] Rice also adapted and popularized a traditional slave song called "Jump Jim Crow" (1828).^[2]

The character conventionally dresses in rags and wears a battered hat and torn pants. Rice applied blackface makeup made of burnt cork to his face and hands^[3] and impersonated a very nimble and irreverently witty African-American field-hand who sang, "Come listen all you galls and boys, I'm going to sing a little song, my name is Jim Crow, weel about and turn about and do jis so, eb'ry time I weel about I jump Jim Crow."^[3]

^ Rice, Daddy; W. T., Lhamon; Crow, Jim (2003). Jump Jim Crow Lost Plays, Lyrics, and Street Prose of the First Atlantic Popular Culture. Harvard University Press. p. vii Preface. ISBN 978-0674010628. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
^ Padgett, Ken. "Blackface! Minstrel Shows". black-face.com. Ken Padgett. Archived from the original on September 27, 2014. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
^ ^a ^b "Who Was Jim Crow? – Jim Crow Museum". ferris.edu. Ferris State University. Retrieved March 3, 2018.

[1] Rice, Daddy; W. T., Lhamon; Crow, Jim (2003). Jump Jim Crow Lost Plays, Lyrics, and Street Prose of the First Atlantic Popular Culture. Harvard University Press. p. vii Preface. ISBN 978-0674010628. Retrieved April 7, 2021.

[:1-2] Padgett, Ken. "Blackface! Minstrel Shows". black-face.com. Ken Padgett. Archived from the original on September 27, 2014. Retrieved December 10, 2014.

[:0-3] "Who Was Jim Crow? – Jim Crow Museum". ferris.edu. Ferris State University. Retrieved March 3, 2018.

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