He was a white American performer and playwright who is considered the 'father of American minstrelsy'. His blackface character "Jim Crow" was a racial caricature that became synonymous with racist stereotypes.
Imagine an actor who becomes famous for playing a role that mocks and degrades another culture. That's what Thomas "Daddy" Rice did with his Jim Crow character.
Minstrel Shows: A form of entertainment developed in the early 19th century where white performers painted their faces black to mock African Americans in stereotypical and often demeaning ways.
Blackface: The practice of non-black performers darkening their skin to portray a caricature of a black person.
Stereotypes: Widely held but oversimplified and generalized beliefs about specific groups of people.
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