After the end of American slavery,'Rastus' was used by whites as a generic name for black men, and it became synonymous with the stereotype of the happy, carefree Southern black created by Southern whites to justify continued racial repression.
After the end of American slavery,'Rastus' was used by whites as a generic, often derogatory, name for black men. It became asynonymous with the stereotype of the happy, carefree Southern black created by Southern whites to justify continued racial repression.