Introduction: Overview of the Museum
The Jim Crow Museum at Ferris State University houses more than 10,000 items of race-related fossils. It discusses racism, prejudice, and black people’s seclusion throughout and following enslavement (Jim Crow Museum of racist memorabilia). The exhibit does not hold back on anything, and it is filled with so many ethnic remains that visiting it makes one uneasy.
The monument’s objective is to educate and enlighten visitors about racism. The museum has a room where visitors can gather to discuss what they have learned and their feelings regarding racism. This museum exhibits how commonplace items were utilized to oppress and divide Africans (Jim Crow Museum of racist memorabilia). The Jim Crow Museum is significant for people who want to know more about racial prejudice.
Sociological Theory and the Museum Exhibit
The Jim Crow Museum webpage connects to the sociological theory by offering accurate information and data on historical and contemporary topics. It demonstrates these points by presenting examples of how prevalent racism and bigotry were, appearing in novels, television programs, and carnival games. Cultural and racial discrepancies have persisted for as long as they have because of functionalism, which views them in that light. This is still true today, as evidenced by the Jim Crow site, where black people are classified as felons, which accounts for widespread imprisonment.
Conflict hypotheses are frequently used to explain differences in race, culture, socioeconomic class, education, and gender identity. According to the website, Jim Crow aims to maintain this via widespread incarceration and economic suffering. For Symbolic Interactionists, a person’s ethnic background and race are reliable personality indicators. The site’s graphics reflect a predominantly white society, which is evident across the board by depicting black men as violent, thereby maintaining the stereotype that black men are violent.
The Origin and Impact of “Jim Crow”
Thomas Dartmouth, an actor, created the character of “Jim Crow,” a clumsy, illiterate, and lethargic African slave, and this is where the phrase “Jim Crow” first appeared. His performances grew in popularity, and black people began to refer to them as such. He was one of the earliest to do blackface and a forerunner of this subjugating type of film. The “Jim Crow Laws” were discriminatory regulations implemented in the southern states beginning in the 1880s due to these performances (Jim Crow Museum of racist memorabilia).
Black Americans encountered institutional discrimination and personal acts of prejudice in the Jim Crow era. Notwithstanding this, blacks made essential contributions that enriched the US. Black Americans succeeded in various ways. The Jim Crow Museum’s exhibit stresses their achievements as political pioneers, warriors, philosophers, athletes, and singers.
Connections to Course Material
The website relates to the text Psychology of Prejudice and Discrimination, chapter nine, “From Prejudice to Discrimination.” Discrimination is an act that entails maltreating people (Kite and Whitley 344). The website displays racial discrimination against African American-related antiques and items.
Prejudice is a mentality that frequently causes discrimination; it is a form of making negative judgments. The website demonstrates how television and minstrel performances, including Jim Crow, portray African Americans as foolish, leading to prejudice among young people and eventually developing into discrimination. Given everything going on, it is understandable why so many people were racist.
Caricatures
Origins, Purpose, and Usage
Caricatures in the Jim Crow museum have continued to denigrate African Americans and justify racial profiling. These caricatures include “coon”, “mammy,” “brute,” “Tom,“ and “mulattoes” (Jim Crow Museum of racist memorabilia). As a result of the phrase “raccoon“ origins, the caricature “Coon”, which first appeared in minstrel shows in the 1830s, was employed to demean African Americans (Jim Crow Museum of racist memorabilia). In her short fiction from the 1840s, Lydia Maria Child popularized the stereotype of the “mulatto” as a female whose beauty compelled white men to assault her (Jim Crow Museum of racist memorabilia).
In his 12-minute adaptation of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,“ Edwin S. Porter introduced the “Tom“ caricature, which depicts black men as obedient, contented servants (Jim Crow Museum of racist memorabilia). “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,“ anovel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe in 1852, set the bar for “mammy“ representations (Jim Crow Museum of racist memorabilia). It was evidence that African women were satisfied and joyful while serving as enslaved people. Charles H. Smith first used the “brute“ caricature in his literature throughout the 1890s (Jim Crow Museum of racist memorabilia). It paints black men as inherently violent, destructive, atavistic, immoral, and worthy of punishment and even death.
Contemporary Impacts of Racist Caricatures
The way African Americans were depicted in caricatures during the Jim Crow period has had a long-lasting effect on how they are represented in media today, including television programs, movies, and marketing. Movies like “The Wire“ support the racist slur that black people are crooks and gangsters (González 281). Even today, these caricatures serve to diminish the social standing of Africans. Since the abolition of slavery, terms like “mammy“ have created a poor perception of African People (The Jim Crow Museum 11.23). Children are taught from an early age that blacks are less than white people, which creates a negative perception of African Americans.
Conclusion
For those interested in learning more about racism and prejudice, the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia is a fantastic destination. The exhibits at this monument provide a glimpse into everyday life for Black Americans throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This exhibit can open one’s eyes to the true extent of a black person’s oppression and how it became acceptable to practice prejudice against an entire race.
Works Cited
“Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia.” Ferris State University, 2022. Web.
Kite, Mary E., and Bernard E. Whitley. “From Prejudice to Discrimination.” Psychology of Prejudice and Discrimination, 3rd ed., 2022, pp. 343–391. Web.
González, Jesús Ángel. “‘Wiring’ the Wire: Transtextual Layers and Tragic Realism in the Wire.” The Journal of Popular Television, vol. 7, no. 3, 2019, pp. 279–297. Web.
“The Jim Crow Museum.” YouTube. 2013. Web.