Résumé:
The act of slavery saw light roughly in 1619, when hundreds of African slaves were shipped to Europe
and to the New World to work for the white man. Since then white men have issued laws to keep the
slaves in chains. For that reason, black people sought to find a way to express their freedom without
breaking those laws. One method was by composing songs, dances and mostly tailing their own
fashionable clothes. This movement was called "Black Dandyism" which emerged in England and later
swept across Europe and reached America. This historical research aims at first to shed light on how
black dandies created a new identity by wearing colorful outfits to reflect their African identity and
culture. Second, it explains how the tool of fashion and music became a political movement to impose
their culture and existence. Third, the researcher delivers illustrations to demonstrate how Dandyism is
portrayed in literature. Finally, it ends on making a link between old Dandyism, the case of Jim Crow,
and the modern one with stresses the case of "Michael Jackson."
