{"id":5633,"date":"2021-10-12T00:38:30","date_gmt":"2021-10-12T05:38:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/americanmusic\/?p=5633"},"modified":"2021-12-13T14:47:57","modified_gmt":"2021-12-13T20:47:57","slug":"brilliant-social-function-a-perspective-on-the-minstrel-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/americanmusic\/2021\/10\/12\/brilliant-social-function-a-perspective-on-the-minstrel-show\/","title":{"rendered":"“Brilliant Social Function”? : A Perspective on the Minstrel Show"},"content":{"rendered":"
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“Broad Ax” Chicago, May 23, 1903<\/p><\/div>\n

Content Warning<\/span><\/i>: Racist representation of Black Americans.<\/span><\/p>\n

As I was doing my research, I came across this column in a 1903 edition of the <\/span>Broad Ax. <\/span><\/i>Entitled \u201cMontana Society Note: Characteristic Description of a Brilliant Social Function in the Cow Country.\u201d This article provides some intriguing insight into the perception of minstrel shows throughout history. Upon an initial skim, one might think that this is a genuine recount of an evening of entertainment at a minstrel troupe performance. Language like \u201croaring success\u201d and \u201cIt was one of the most brilliant heel-and-toe stampedes ever held in this settlement\u201d initially hint towards the success and ingenuity of a performance like this. A little bit of further exploration of the paper and its author reveals a different perspective.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The <\/span>Broad Ax <\/span><\/i>was a Black-owned newspaper that ran from 1853 to the early 1900s (exact date unknown). It was edited by Julius F. Taylor. Taylor was born into an enslaved family but eventually escaped enslavement towards the middle of his life. Taylor founded the paper with the goal of promoting the principles of Jefferson and Jackson — principles that he saw as exceptionally democratic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cHew to the line\u201d – Taylor\u2019s motto for the paper.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

In the spirit of \u2018hewing to the line,\u2019 Taylor presents a lively and entertaining commentary on a minstrel show. As an advocate for racial equality and what he saw to be the fundamental tenets of democratic thinking fostered by both Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson, he narrates a nonsensical recount of a minstrel concert. Taylor offers parodied examples of traditional minstrel characters like \u201cJim Crow\u201d or \u201cZip Coon\u201d in his presentation of \u201cFightin\u2019 Pharaoh\u201d and \u201cPap Henderson.\u201d Further, Taylor presents some commentary in a dialect like that often heard in traditional minstrel songs: \u201cblew in and began to prospect for a pardner,\u201d being one example.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Taylor\u2019s covert criticism of minstrel shows is an intriguing perspective on their historical influence and the lasting legacy that they have on the presentation of African Americans. Incorporating a daring and audacious \u201cThere was nothing special doing all night\u201d ultimately points to a potentially shared perspective: minstrel shows weren\u2019t as valuable and as brilliant of a social function as understood by a white audience.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n