Stereotypes And Generalizations Of African Americans

Since the United States’ inception, the negative stereotypes and generalizations of African Americans have been some of the worst examples of racism that has been extremely prevalent in American culture. African American stereotypes date back all the way to colonial American times, where African American slavery was considered to be accepted and practiced. Since then, black people in America have been treated horribly for stereotypes that have deep roots in the mistreatment of black people in American history. An example of negative stereotypes to African Americans in the past and even the present is blackface. Blackface is a theatrical style of makeup that used negative African American stereotypes which included excessively black skin,†¦show more content†¦Another example mentioned by the Vice article in 2015 shows a group of UCLA students â€Å"wearing blackface and wearing baggy clothes at a ‘Kanye Western’ party on campus.† When this incident spread on the news, major protests arose with the theme statement â€Å"Our Culture Is Not a Costume.† Clack, the author of the article, also mentions that similar blackface and brownface â€Å"parties† were thrown at fraternities and sororities in Arizona, California, Florida, and South Carolina. What is interesting is that the majority of these recent blackface incidents involved white people, just like in colonial America. These modern recent examples from just these past few years show how long the n egative stereotypical practice of blackface has unfortunately stayed alive throughout American history. Another unfortunate negative stereotype of African Americans is that they are unintelligent. As with blackface, popular minstrel shows portrayed African Americans as stupid and unintelligent. PBS mentions in Slavery and the Making of America that in 1844, Secretary of State John C. Calhoun is quoted saying, â€Å"Here is proof of the necessity of slavery. The African is incapable of self-care and sinks into lunacy under the burden of freedom. It is a mercy to give him the guardianship and protection from mental death.† This horrible generalization made by the Secretary of State shows how deeply rooted these stereotypes were within American culture. Calhoun truly believed theShow MoreRelatedEthnic Notions: Film Response Essay1219 Words   |  5 Pagesevolution of African American cultural depictions through ethnic stereotypes and caricatures in American culture. 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