Jim Crow The term Jim Crow was used as a reference to segregation laws hat came about at the end of the reconstruction and came to an end in 1877 and continued until the 1960's. According to diction dictionary.reference.Jim Crow is defined as a practice or policy of segregating or discriminating against blacks, as in public places, public vehicles, or employment. The term Jim Crow was thought to have originated around 1830 from a white minstrel show performer named Thomas Rice put black material on his face and performed a jig singing “Jump Jim Crow.” The character was created from a crippled, elderly black man singing and dancing. People say that Jim Crow owned a slave that gave inspiration for the act. The skit was incorporated into the act and then became a part of the minstrel scene in America. (1), (2), (3) Thomas Rice was one of the first performers to wear blackface makeup in a song and dance routine that turned out to be a success and took him to places like Louisville to Cincinnati to Pittsburgh to Philadelphia and to New York in 1832. Jim Crow was later a stock character in minstrel shows with Jim Dandy and Zip Coon. His blackface characters were Sambos, Coons, and Dandies. White audiences were open to portrayals of blacks as singing, dancing, grinning fools. Around 1838, the term "Jim Crow" was being used to refer to blacks, althought not to be as offensive as nigger, but close to coon or darkie. Minstrel shows clearly helped the spread of Jim Crow as a racial slur. This use of the term only lasted half a century. Nearing the end of the 19th century, the word Jim Crow was less likely to be used in reference to blacks but used to describe the oppressive laws and customs in reference to blacks. Rice performing in the minstrel shows was regarded the father of minstrelsy had may imitators. Four white men from new York darkened their faces and