Black American Archetypes Pt. 1

The Mammy 

Description 
The Mammy often portrayed an overweight, boisterous, usually dark-skinned black maid.  

"Mammy" played by Awarding winning actress Hattie McDaniel

Portrayal in popular culture 
"Mammy" in Gone With The Wind
Mammy Two Shoes in the animated Tom and Jerry series 
Matilda in Guess Who's Coming To Dinner 








Blackface

Description 
first depicted on stage known in minstrel shows during the Antebellum era throughout the nation. Whites would portray stereotypes of blacks  but there were black performers in minstrel.

Al Jolson's portrayal of a blackface character in The Jazz Singer

Portrayal in popular culture 
Aunt Jemina portrayed by  Tessa Gardella 
Al Fuller in Mammy portrayed by Al Jolson 

The Coon/Sambo

Stepin' Fetchit (left) stage name of  Actor Lincoln Perry

Description 

Usually portrayed as shiftless, dunce, ignorant, happy-go-lucky, clumsy, similar in character to blackface  minus  exaggerated physical attributes, thus black actors often depicted them.  

Portrayal in popular culture 
Stepin Fetchit
Amos 'n' Andy


The Uncle Tom 

Description  

Contrary to popular belief,  Tom (from the novel Uncle Tom's Cabin) was a hero, refusing to expose runaway slaves which led to his faithful but honourable death. An apologist for slavery, white supremacy and practically worships the ground that white people stand on. Usually portrayed as gentlemanly, docile and accommodating. 

James Baskett plays Uncle Remus in Song of The South

Portrayal in popular culture 
Uncle Remus 
Uncle Ruckfus  in the animated series The Boondocks
Stephen in Django Unchained

The Mandingo Negro

Ken Norton plays "Ganymede" a Mandingo Fighting Slave

Description 

the slave masters perception that the male slaves were natural 'beast' suited to slave work, but sex crazed and incapable of cognition.

Portrayal in popular culture 
Ganymede in Mandingo
Jack Jefferson in The Great White Hope 








The Black Buck
Description 

Untamed, pathologically violent black male in early American film, a man who refuses to comply with to the white man's authority. He is thus portrayed as a outlaw, a major threat white society and order. With the huge popularity of blaxploitation movies in the 70's, a new type crime laden black character was developed with a more nuanced role.

Jules Winnfield played by Sam Jackson

Portrayal in popular culture 

Gus in Birth of a Nation 
Jules Winnfield in Pulp Fiction 
Nigger Charley in The legend of Nigger Charley