Amos and Andy

At first glace this video appears to be a cartoon created simply for entertainment and amusement. However, upon further scrutiny it becomes obvious the producers had a different agenda. The depiction of the African American characters in the cartoon clearly shows the sentiment of white Americans toward minorities, especially black Americans, during the time period. The exaggerated features of the characters including their very dark skin tones, big lips, and big eyes relate to the practices of blackface and the minstrels. These are all features that white Americans used to stereotype blacks, and this cartoon only helps to enforce these views. The behavior exhibited by the characters is another way the producers mock and stereotype African Americans. Rather than behaving like people, the characters are more comparable to animals, acting aggressively and primitively. Their slow movements and dialect are also used to portray African Americans as unintelligent and ridiculous. The entire video uses these silly stereotypical black figures to further impose the racial divides of the time period. The creators most likely wanted white Americans to continue viewing black Americans as animal-like and “different” to keep the color line in tact.