When did descendants of slave get the stereotype of being lazy?
The stereotype of Black people as lazy was systematically promoted by former slaveholders, pro-slavery politicians, and economists in the 19th century, particularly in the post-Civil War era. source
This propaganda was used to justify continued exploitation and to deny formerly enslaved people economic and social equality.
This racist myth has roots dating back to the start of slavery in America and was reinforced over centuries. source
The purpose of the stereotype
During slavery, the laziness myth was used to justify the brutal system of forced labor and dehumanize enslaved people. After slavery was abolished, it was used to:
Justify oppressive laws. The "lazy" stereotype was a key rationale for implementing Jim Crow laws and Black Codes, which forced Black people into labor systems like debt peonage, convict leasing, and sharecropping.
Rewrite resistance as laziness. When freed Black people refused to work for free or under oppressive conditions, racist systems re-framed this assertion of humanity as innate laziness. source
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