Tipping culture started as an “un-American” concept it spread partly because of the aftermath of the Civil War. And despite evolving racial attitudes, this development was adopted by other restaurateurs who saw the potential for added profits, which spread the practice all over the country. This resistance gave the practice of tipping a foothold in the South, strong enough to withstand and eventually overturn attempts to make the practice illegal. Many restaurateurs refused to pay newly minted freedmen wages, delegating the responsibility of compensating them to the generosity of their customers.
Despite the end of slavery, racial discrimination in all aspects of civil society was still rampant. How did we get from treating tipping as something antithetical to the American way to something that’s almost obligatory? The Civil War had something to do with it. Such class divisions had no place in a society that claimed to value equality and democracy. This opposition was grounded in the notion that tipping indicated the presence of a subservient sub-class of people. However, their initial efforts were met with strong resistance from the general public. by Americans travelers returning from Europe in the mid 1800s trying to seem cultured.
Tipping is said to have started among the European aristocracy to reward servants for exceptional service.
