Questions and Answers
W. E. B. DuBois described the dilemma of Negro identity as a kind of:
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In the context of the text, the term 'double-consciousness' refers to:
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The American world yields the Negro no true self-consciousness but only lets him see himself through the revelation of:
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What did W. E. B. DuBois compare the Negro to in the context of the text?
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What does the 'doubleconsciousness' open up for the Negro?
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According to W. E. B. DuBois, what does being a Negro gifted with second-sight mean?
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What did DuBois argue about Negroes seeking validation?
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What was the misunderstood title of Carl Van Vechten?
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What did the American race relations reveal through theatrical stage?
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In which professions did the text mention Negroes' theatrical genius?
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When did the emergence of authentic black dramas occur according to the text?
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How did the Yiddish theater in NYC maintain ethnic authenticity?
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What did the Jewish community support in NYC after the Civil War?
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What was the audience's role in the improvement of performances in Yiddish theater?
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What did Negro intellectuals of the 1920s want to produce?
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What was the European ethnic community that flourished in NYC after the Civil War?
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What did Yiddish theater maintain through its language and themes according to the text?
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What was Carl Van Vechten's title misunderstood to be in Harlem according to the text?
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What was the primary audience of the minstrel shows?
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How were the theatrical darky characters portrayed in the minstrel shows?
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What values did the American culture promote in the 19th century?
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What did the achievement ethic of the American Dream emphasize?
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What persona did white men create to escape the pressures of success and anxiety-ridden achievement ethic?
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What did the minstrel shows reinforce about African Americans?
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What concept emerged in the early 19th century centered on individual success and upward mobility?
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How did white men escape the pressures of the achievement ethic in the minstrel shows?
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What was at odds with the negative stereotypes reinforced by the minstrel shows?
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'Double-consciousness' is a term that refers to:
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'The American Dream' implied the possibility of:
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What was the purpose of white men using blackface masks in the 19th century?
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What did Frances Trollope's book 'Domestic Manners' criticize?
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What led to imitations of Trollope and laughter from the audience at a theatrical performance?
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What were Americans concerned about amidst democratization and expansion?
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What did the blackface minstrel character combine?
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What was the symbol of otherness for white men in the context of blackface?
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What did English people also enjoy in addition to American blackface performers?
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What anxiety did white Americans have regarding real-life black people in relation to the blackface minstrel character?
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'Little Black Sambo,' Indian niggers, African niggers, and Polynesian niggers were stereotypes associated with which group?
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What did the blackface minstrel provide for white men?
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What was the purpose of the blackface minstrel performance for white men?
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How did some black performers achieve distance on stage?
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What did wearing black masks on stage represent for black men?
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Why was maintaining distance crucial and difficult for black men?
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What did Bert Williams and George Walker attempt to do with the minstrel character?
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What did ethnic humor assume about the performer?
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Why was every failure evidence of racial limitation for black men?
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What was the purpose of wearing black masks on stage for black men?
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What did some performers use stereotype as according to the text?
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What did ethnic humor assume about performers?
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What was a significant obstacle faced by Negroes in engaging with American popular theater?
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What emotional needs did blackface minstrel shows serve according to the text?
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Who were the standard American comedy types underneath the burnt cork in blackface minstrel shows?
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Which type of theatrical group featured entertainers closely following the traditional model even in the late 19th and early 20th centuries?
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Why did Charles Hicks turn over the Georgia Minstrels to a white man in 1865?
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What was a characteristic of minstrel shows in terms of their structure?
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Which group had little commercial choice but to play the 'Stage Negro' type in commercial theater?
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Who organized the Georgia Minstrels in 1865?
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What allowed Jews and other immigrants coming into the United States at the end of the 19th century to continue or develop their own popular culture?
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Who were not mimics of slaves according to the text?
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Who first appeared in the commercial theater through the 'Stage Negro' type?
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Who remained close to the traditional model even in the late 19th and early 20th centuries?
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Study Notes
- Jews and other immigrants coming into the United States at the end of the 19th century faced less hostility than Negroes due to lack of a strong American tradition, allowing them to continue or develop their own popular culture.
- Negroes, on the other hand, were alienated within American experience and lacked an alternative culture, making it difficult for them to engage with American popular theater.
- Blackface minstrel shows, originated in the early 19th century by white performers, were a formidable tradition that had a strong hold on American imagination, serving important emotional needs.
- Blackface minstrels, such as Jim Crow and Jim Dandy (or Zip Coon), were not mimics of slaves, but rather standard American comedy types underneath the burnt cork.
- Minstrel shows, which were predominantly white-created and performed, had a rigid structure with opening, interlocutor, end men, and a grand finale.
- Negroes first appeared in the commercial theater through this "Stage Negro" type, as they had little commercial choice but to play this white creation.
- Charles Hicks, a Negro, organized the Georgia Minstrels in 1865 but turned it over to a white man due to hostility towards a Negro business manager.
- Charles Callender's Georgia Minstrels became the first successful all-black theatrical group, featuring entertainers like Billy Kersands and Sam Lucas, who remained close to the traditional model even in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
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