Phrases like
"barbarian," "Negro ruffian," "African Annie," "colored
cannibal," "coon," and "darkie" were standard epithets. Whenever
blacks were depicted in cartoons or photographs, the stereotype
presented them as having thick lips, flat noses, big ears, big
feet, and kinky woolly hair. News items concerning those involved
in criminal activities almost always identified them by color.
This contributed to the development of the stereotype of the
criminal Negro.
Throughout its history, America had been predominantly an
Anglo-Saxon and Protestant country. The Afro-American stood out
in sharp distinction to this picture both because of his color
and his African heritage. By the end of the nineteenth century
America was being flooded with immigrants from Southern and
Eastern Europe. They too were much darker than the dominant
strains of Northern Europe, and many were Catholics. There was a
growing feeling that these new immigrants, like the Negroes,
were inherently alien and intrinsically unassimilable. Liberals
in the progressive movement, who were concerned about protecting
the integrity and morality of American society, were in the
fore-front of those who feared the new hordes of "swarthy"
immigrants.
Pages:
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186