The Jim Crow persona is a theater character developed by entertainer Thomas D. Rice and popularized through his minstrel shows. The character is a stereotypical depiction of African-Americans and of their culture. Rice based the character on a folk trickster named Jim Crow that had long been popular among enslaved black people. Rice also adapted and popularized a traditional slave song called "Jump Jim Crow".
The character conventionally dresses in rags and wears a battered hat and torn pants.
