Final answer:
The stock character from blackface minstrelsy that became associated with racial segregation was "Jim Crow." This term later referred to the segregation laws that enforced racial separation and inequality in the United States until the Civil Rights Movement.
Step-by-step explanation:
The stock character from blackface minstrelsy whose name became synonymous with racial segregation was "Jim Crow." This character originated from a white actor who performed with his face blackened, caricaturing a slave and promoting racial stereotypes. Over time, the term "Jim Crow" became a shorthand for the oppressive laws and practices that enforced racial segregation in the United States, particularly in the South. Jim Crow laws advocated for the "separate but equal" doctrine, which was enshrined by the Supreme Court in the infamous Plessy v. Ferguson case. These laws mandated the separation of the races in virtually all aspects of public life, from schools to transportation, ensuring that African Americans had access to services that were distinctly inferior to those provided to white Americans. It wasn't until the Civil Rights Movement, with pivotal moments like Brown v. Board of Education and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, that the stranglehold of Jim Crow began to be dismantled, setting the stage for a society striving towards greater equity and justice.