The term "Jim Crow" originated from minstrel shows from the 19th century that featured blackface comedy. A song called "Jim Crow" was written by Thomas Darthmouth Rice, who was a struggling actor who became extremely popular through the simple composition. Other characters such as Jim Dandy and Zip Coon were inspired by this racist stereotype of the black people of American society.

The influence of the minstrel shows grew rapidly in Southern society but lost national popularity during the rise of radio. The racial stereotype of a "Jim Crow" black stuck around the time that Jim Crow laws were instituted, which was around the 1880's. The idea of a lazy, stupid, and inferior black man was a popular idea that was used to describe the harmful system.