Jim Crow: Stock Character, Segregation, and Social Justification

Stock character concept

• Jim Crow is a stock character: a recognizable social persona in culture; can be performed by different actors; recognized by name and mannerisms.
• Stock character conveys a ready-made social script that audiences universally understand.

Jim Crow and the system of segregation

• The segregation system is named after this stock character, signaling a fixed social order with defined roles.
• The “joke” about him not knowing what to do with freedom or leadership shows the constraint: he remains within his assigned role.
• The idea rests on the belief that society has proper roles and people have specific capabilities to fill them.

Mechanisms needed for the system to work

• Social custom: the Jim Crow figure appears in popular culture as a shorthand for envisioned social roles.
• Justification: there must be widespread belief that this order is proper.
• Buy-in: those in positions of power must endorse and support the order, enabling legal and institutional backing.

Role of power and law

• Legal support backs the social order; power holders are essential to create and enforce laws that uphold the system.
• Example: Henry Grady’s speech represents a persuasive articulation of Southern buy-in and justification for segregation.