Where do we start?
I think the best stereotype I ever heard was the one that African American of very dark skin was so cold to the touch, that their skin would burn you. One stereotyping was that African Americans of very dark skin were assassins of the night. Stereotyping emerge for the most part from lack of knowledge, through the actions of another and mostly from lies of others. Like the stereotype that all black people like watermelon. Why do we all supposedly like watermelon, anyway?
Stereotyping, in my opinion, was a way to ward off racial blending through other races. Stereotyping among African Americans came about because of misunderstanding of the world around them. During slavery blacks were "herded" by men, women were hardly ever part of the handle and communication of blacks. The men in turn, to insure the effect of which they wanted, begun to have stories of what an African American would do to women and children if they became too friendly with them. So stories begun of blacks having tails, and black men had to be chained at night because if they were in "season" they could walk through walls and rape any woman who were also in "season". This was all a plan to insure the thought that African Americans were dark evil animals from hell. This also is how such things as yokes, collars, whips and chins got their beginning. When in public African Americans were to appear as though they were animals that could walk upright. The old folks say, "If you tell one lie, you have to keep up the lie."
At that time all African Americans were of very dark skin, they all fell under one group. Then the men of other races had begun to have sexual contact with the females and the children begun to come in different shades. The excuse was that they were breeding God into the race, that they were Christian men and that after so much breeding the children will being to come into the world having God, this was the only way to start saving their souls. This opened the door for a little Christianity for the new shade of African Americans, which in turn begun the black-on-black stereotyping and segregation. Because now is only the very dark who are demons of hell. The new shade of African Americans is now in the house, with better clothing, food, and living conditions. This set a field of ill feelings for the new shade of African Americans.
The new shade is now in an environment, which they are seeing and doing more things, so they knew a little more. This than started the stereotyping of the lighter shade African Americans. The stereotyping was that the new shades were brighter and better then the dark African Americans. This was not the case, but it was the ticket that went up for sells at that time.
Stereotyping of African Americans is something, which has, caused a many of heartache and in some cases death. Learn who and what a person is before judging, because the one common word is Americans