Nigger+and+caricatures

Pilgrim, David, and Phillip Middleton. "Nigger and caricatures." Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia (2001).

In the 1900s, the N-word was still used in everyday colloquial language, and soon to be history lessons, but, by the late 1900s it was re-appropriated by African Americans through media. In this time, the contradictions, found in the continual usage of the N-word, were also starting to be exposed. During Jim Crow laws, Caucasians used the N-word to exploit the utter shame felt by African Americans in direct relation to their lack of personal liberties and segregated public facilities. Dr. David Pilgrim and Dr. Phillip Middleton stated that “The racial hierarchy, which began during slavery and extended into the Jim Crow period, has been severely eroded by a civil rights movement, landmark Supreme Court decisions, a black empowerment movement, comprehensive civil rights legislation, and a general embracing of democratic principles by many American citizens.” In the liberation of the Jim Crow laws and the equalization of all races within the United States, the Caucasian use of the N-word saw a temporary interruption. Towards the late 1950s, the Caucasian use of the N-word became a part of history, because many Caucasians seemed to have understood the derogatory nature of the N-word.